I Love
by RyokoMaxwell
Summary: Naruto uses a forbidden jutsu. Sasuke and he end up switching bodies with one another and now they just may reveal more to each other than they ever wanted to. Yaoi. SasuNaru. NaruSasu
1. Your unpredictability

**Disclaimer:** YES! I own Naruto! I own it all and—shit! Here comes the lawyer! I'm sorrrrrry! I don't own jack shit!

**Warnings:** None, in this chapter. But I've rated it M, because it will be later, most likely.

**Author's Note:** Holy crap it's the obligatory body-swap story! I had to do one. I wanted to see if I could incorporate angst into it somehow…real angst. Not the oh-my-god-I-have-to-pee-using-his-equipment angst.

Let me know how I'm doing so far. As always, comments and suggestions welcome.

**Typical Explanations:**

_Italics_ mean thought

**Bold Italics** mean Kyuubi thought.

* * *

**Story: _I Love…_**

**Chapter 1**: _Your unpredictability_

"Idiot! Untie me right now!" Sasuke Uchiha struggled against the ropes that held him tightly bound to an oak tree, on the training grounds they were currently occupying.

The blonde teenager that went by the name Naruto Uzumaki smiled his trademark fox-grin. "Nope!" It took me weeks to get you into this position and now that I finally have you where I want you. I'm trying out this new jutsu, you arrogant, cocky bastard!"

Sasuke grit his teeth together in anger. Amazingly, enough most of the anger was directed at himself. When it came to sparing with his friend, he had to admit; he had been overly confident these last few days. But arrogant and cocky? Please! Uchihas just had high self-esteem. They knew their own worth. Such petty words as arrogant, cocky, and of course bastard, were never to be used to refer to the members of such a mighty clan…until Naruto came along.

There was no denying that he had been set up. Over the course of about 6 weeks, Naruto had been slowly putting less effort into his sparring with Sasuke and as a result, Sasuke always won fairly easy. When he really thought about it, Sasuke realized he had never thought Naruto capable of pulling off a stunt that would take so much time and energy.

"All right, Naruto. Now you have me. What exactly do you plan on doing with me?"

Naruto cocked his head toward his rival in amusement. Sasuke never referred to him by his name, unless it was a dire situation. His little slip-up let the blonde know for sure that he now had the upperhand.

"Well, asshole, I'm so _glad_ you asked. You are the guinea pig for my new jutsu!" Naruto began making the hand signs for said jutsu almost before Sasuke could even protest.

"What?! Naruto, now wait a minute! What the hell are you doing? Stop before you hurt yourself or _me_!"

"Henshin no jutsu!"

Anything else Sasuke had to say was cut off by a quick flash of light, followed by the unmistakable darkness that precluded one's passing out.

* * *

At this point in his life, besides being Hokage, Naruto had a new purpose. One: to tell Sasuke of his feelings for him. And two: to see if the stoic Uchiha felt the same. They were both Jounin now and quickly on the way to ANBU.

Sasuke himself was slowly forgetting the feelings of becoming an avenger. It was true that he still wanted to defeat Itachi, but he had plenty of time to train and he would not allow anyone else to kill his brother. After Naruto had come back from training with Jiraiya, he was actually on-par with Sasuke. It was a challenge to train with the Kyuubi boy, every time. When he thought about it, he could definitely consider Naruto his best friend. The one person in Konoha he was close to.

He only wished now, as he opened his eyes to see the white ceiling of a hospital room, that he hadn't let Naruto become so close.

* * *

"He's awake! Oh, thank goodness!"

"His recuperation time took a bit longer than it normally does, with Kyuubi healing him. But nonetheless, I am glad he's ok. Shizune, go check on Sasuke and see if he's beginning to stir as well."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Sasuke could hear low heels clack against the polished floors of his hospital room before they entered the hallway, it seemed that he could hear her footsteps for quite a while before they finally died down.

As he took the time to process what his current Hokage had said, he frowned.

_Why would she send Shizune to go check on me, when I'm right here?_

As his vision cleared, he noticed her face hovering over his. He could tell she was immensely relieved that he was alright. And than in it worried him. She had never shown this type of kindness to him before. The sort of smile she was now giving him was usually reserved for her surrogate brother, Naruto.

While he pondered this train of thought, he noticed that Tsunade immediately schooled her features and sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"Well now you've done it, brat! Trying a forbidden jutsu on Sasuke..." She shook her head and sighed. "What were you thinking? No, wait. Don't tell me. Of course, there wasn't a thought floating through that tiny little head of yours! I ought to give you D rank missions for a _year_! Do you know how upset the council was when they heard you had used their last Uchiha boy as an _experiment_?"

Sasuke blinked in amazement.

_Uh…what?_ He thought.

Out loud, he said, "You're making my head hurt. Are you being serious?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he almost passed out yet again.

_This voice! It sounds like…like…_

"NARUTO!" Tsunade roared.

_YES! Like that! I mean…oh crap._

"How dare you get smart with me before you've even completely woken up! Now you shut the hell up and wait right here! I'll be back to talk to you more, after I've finished checking up on the Uchiha kid."

She made her way to the door, but as she grabbed the door handle, she turned towards him and gave him a look that rivaled any Itachi had ever given him. He could feel the goosebumps before she even spoke again.

"And so help me if you've escaped out of here by the time I get back!"

With that, Konoha's forever young Hokage slammed the door shut. He winced, as the sound seemed to reverberate throughout the room.

Even after she left though, he heard a chuckle.

"What the hell?"

_**Well, well. Look who has invaded my territory. **_

"Who's there?!"

_**Now, now, little Uchiha. There's no need to speak aloud. The world would think Naruto's already crazier than he is, if he began talking to himself.**_

Sasuke growled in his head.

Kyuubi! 

_**Correct.**_

Sasuke remained baffled. Even though he was beginning to get an idea what might be happening to him, he still had to voice his question.

But how? 

_**Go look in the mirror boy and you'll quickly understand.**_

Sasuke shifted on the bed, so his feet landed on the floor. He was a bit unsteady, but in seconds he regained steady footing and shuffled into the bathroom, only to scream as he turned on the light and saw his reflection in the mirror.

Or rather, the reflection of his best friend…

Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Naruto's things to do in the next chapter:

Enjoy being released from the hospital before Sasuke

Completely floor the Uchiha with his perfect impression of him.

Make Sasuke realize there's more going on in his head than just ramen and being the next Hokage.

* * *

Yeah, I know it's short. But I felt this was a good place to stop for a cliffie.

For those of you reading my other stories, yes I am still working on them, but I needed a break. So this is my break. ;p


	2. Your Resilience

**Disclaimer:** If you see my name on the Naruto manga…let me know.

**Warnings:** Sexual innuendoes and situations. Though no sex…yet. Mwahahaha…

**Author's Notes:** A longer chapter and a deliciously evil Naruto!

Let me know how I'm doing so far. As always, comments and suggestions welcome.

Typical Explanations:

_Italics_ mean thought

**Bold Italics** mean Kyuubi thought.

Paradise: Nope. Naruto didn't do this own purpose. But he's going to thoroughly enjoy the results…Sasuke's had this coming.

Narue: No longer must you wait!

Namine12: Oh, he'll do numbers 1 - 3 and _more_…do you feel sorry for Sasuke yet. insert devious grin here

And for the rest of you, who didn't ask questions (hehe) thank you very much! I appreciate it! I wouldn't have updated this fast, if it weren't for you!

* * *

**Story: I Love…**

**Chapter 2:** _Your resilience_

"Sasuke, can you please come out of the bathroom now, so I can evaluate your condition?"

Naruto sighed. He never looked in the mirror much, but when he did he certainly didn't expect to see Sasuke. He already knew the jutsu had gone horribly wrong. But he couldn't have imagined this turn of events.

He strolled out of the bathroom and glared at Tsunade.

"What is it that you want, Hokage-sama? As you can see, I'm fine. If I'm capable of walking around on my own, I should be just as capable of being released from this hospital."

Tsunade sighed.

_Well the Uchiha's fine. Back to his usual self. And Naruto…well I guess he's no worse for the wear._

"Fine, Uchiha. Just let me check your vitals and I'll send you on your way."

For a second, Sasuke's sharingan was visible, but it quickly disappeared and with a sigh, the boy settled himself on the hospital bed and cast a glance at the medic nin, to show her he was ready.

All that she did showed that the boy was within his normal range for everything. Everything except his chakra.

"Sasuke, your chakra seems to be more abundant than it normally is. Or rather, it seems it's all over the place. Have you been experiencing abnormal patterns in your chakra control?"

For the smallest of moments, she could swear that he stiffened, but it quickly disappeared and she chalked it up to the fact that the boy didn't like giving out more information than was necessary. He was always this way.

Although Naruto was smiling on the inside, Sasuke remained completely aloof on the outside. His face was completely unreadable as he told Tsunade, "Yes, I have been trading harder these days. Though, when I think about it, that blonde moron doesn't warrant it. So I suppose there is a bit of fluctuation. Any other questions?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and gave a valiant attempt at mirroring the Uchiha glare, but it didn't even come close. Sasuke stood up and began to untie the back of his hospital gown.

"If you don't mind…"

Tsunade blanched for a second, realizing the Uchiha was going to change whether she was in the room or not. "Fine. You're dismissed from the hospital. Go home and rest for the day, Uchiha."

"Hn."

* * *

Sasuke was quite proud that he didn't hyperventilate in his new body. Because yanking on the blonde hair and glaring at the mirror with icy blue eyes, he was sorely tempted.Did he do this on purpose? What was Naruto thinking? I'm going to fucking kill him!" 

His ears perked slightly as he heard the sound of the doorknob being turned.

_**Your hearing is sharper than a normal human's, as you might have realized by now. And in case you didn't know, it's your damned Hokage coming in. Set the stage, red eyes. **_

Sasuke could hear laughing echo throughout his head.

_**And play your part!**_

Sasuke growled. He may be in Naruto's body, but he absolutely refused to take shit from the demon inhabiting it.

"Naruto! If you're not in that bed in 5 seconds, I swear I'll—"

"WHAT?! You'll do what?!" Sasuke stomped out of the room and flopped onto the bed. He then proceeded to cross his arms and stick his bottom lip out in a pretty good imitation of a pout.

Tsunade blinked at him. "Let me check your vitals."

_Crap. Would Naruto allow this, or would he give her a hard time about something so simple?_

_**Tell her no.**_

"No, you old hag!"

"NARUTO!"

Judging from her typical reaction, this was the right thing to do.

"Why do you always put up such a fight? Well, fine! Until you let me check your vitals and see what happened, you're stuck here."

Sasuke opened his mouth in shock.

"But—"

"No buts! And while we're at it! Come up with a logical reason as to why you would put the Uchiha boy in such danger!" She stormed out of the hospital room, without giving him a chance to retort.

_Fuck. That did not go well._

_**Well that's how it usually is between those two. It's a love-hate relationship, to be sure.**_

Just then he heard someone clear their throat.

Sasuke looked up to the doorway, already glaring.

He was quite surprised to see himself standing there, smirking.

"Well, hello there, dobe."

"What have you done?" Sasuke hissed.

"Well, not what I had intended." The smirk on his face grew to a smile. It looked completely unnatural, but Sasuke couldn't deny that it was bewitching. Which he found incredibly disconcerting, considering it was _his_ body. "But this is almost as good."

"Naruto, you had better—"

"Well, Uzumaki, I'm going to take my leave now. No use standing here and letting whatever infects your brain inhabit mine."

"But you—"

"If you'll excuse me" Naruto said, staring back at Sasuke with dark eyes, "I have to go jack off now."

Sasuke squeaked. "What?!"

Naruto tilted his head back slightly, and ran his right hand slowly up his chest. He stopped his ministrations to fix Sasuke with a soul-searching stare and purred. Sasuke definitely did not want to admit that such a sound sent shivers through his—or rather, Naruto's—body.

"I've always wanted to play with this body. I'll think I'll watch _myself_ while I jack off, in the mirror."

As Sasuke did his best impression of a fish, Naruto closed the door to the hospital room.

Kyuubi howled in his head, unable to control the laughter that burst through.

_**Amazing! I've taught him well!**_

* * *

Naruto slid the door open to the main house of the Uchiha manor and announced, "I'm home."

Of course nothing but silence reached his ear, but it was something he always did, even at his own place.

He bent down to remove his shoes and sighed.

"Well, first things first: I have to figure out how to reverse the jutsu. In the meantime…" He smiled deviously. "I think I'll have a good time…or two."

He headed into the kitchen to scrounge up whatever food was there.

As he sat down and munched on some onigiri he went over the process for the jutsu.

_I can't imagine what went wrong, but I'll have to go to my apartment later and review it again._

He stood up and placed his plate in the sink.

I'll figure it out later. For now, I think I'll go snoop in Sasuke's room and see what kind of stuff I can come up with.

He chuckled aloud. "Oh yeah. This is gonna be fun."

* * *

Sasuke had managed to convince Tsunade that he—Naruto—was just fine and that he would also reverse the jutsu as soon as he figured out what was wrong. Amazingly enough, she hadn't questioned him further on why he had done it and had allowed him to leave the hospital to head home.

The problem was getting home. Correction, the problem was getting home in one _piece_. He had already been spit on, had random objects thrown at him, shoved into a puddle of mud, and now his path was blocked by ANBU.

What are they doing here? 

_**What they usually do…harass my kit.**_

Before he could contemplate the meaning behind those words, one of the men grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back, rendering him almost useless, and then slammed him into the wall. He had almost made it to Naruto's apartment. In fact, he could see the door not 10 feet to his right. But unfortunately, they had been waiting for the boy to return.

The ANBU with the cheetah mask spoke.

"We're here for our weekly visit. So go into your apartment and get ready."

What is **that** supposed to mean? 

_**Do what they say. It happens all the time. At first Naruto resisted, but I guess, to make his life easier, after a few months, he just went along with it.**_

Sasuke wasn't really sure if demons had feelings or not, but he was sure he could hear remorse in the demons voice; laced with venom. And if he focused hard enough he realized that the kyuubi was on high alert. For what he didn't know.

Sasuke unlocked Naruto's door with the key he had already found in the boy's pocket previously and headed inside.

What do I do? 

_**Go into the bedroom and sit on the bed. You will be instructed what to do from then on.**_

All the color drained from Sasuke's face, which in Naruto's body, was quite a feat.

_Please Kyuubi, tell me they're not going to do what I think they are._

_**Are you scared?**_ He could tell he had triggered amusement in the demon.

_**Well, get used to it. As long as you're in this boy's body, your daily life will consist of torment, ridicule, and constant fear. Two of those you yourself contribute to. You'll always be on guard. Think of it as a life lesson.**_

Sasuke inhaled sharply as he felt his pants being yanked off. Oh fuck no! This is not going to happen! 

Even though he was in another body, it was technically him that was going to endure this form of torture and yet all he could think was—

I won't let Naruto go through this again! 

He quickly yanked up his pants again and for lack of anything better to do, kicked the man who had tried to completely disrobe him, in the crotch.

I have to get home! 

He took off running as fast as possible, to the Uchiha manor.

He had been running for a good five minutes and unfortunately the ANBU were still hot on his trail. He could see the gates to his house in the distance though and he wasn't about to give up. But someone had managed to reach him and grab his shirt.

I'm too close to let it end this way! 

He let out of sharp cry as he yanked hard enough to rip the shirt off his body. The ANBU just stared in shock as the shirt he held was now devoid of the body it once covered.

Sasuke dived under the gate and paused to gather his breath. When he looked back, he realized that the men had stopped right at the gate. No matter how badly they wanted the Uzumaki boy, they were not about to encroach on the Uchiha territory without permission.

_Just as I thought. Well, at least that's over._

However, the ANBU were not done with their torture and even if it was only mental now, they were going to have their say.

"What do you think you're doing, demon? As soon as Uchiha-san finds out you're there, he'll kick you right back out! Don't kid yourself, the only reason he keeps you around is for a punching bag!"

Sasuke winced at the words. Was that really how it looked to everyone else? He had thought he at least treated Naruto as a friend. Of course, they fought often, it was just their way. He was the boy's rival after all and what better way for two like themselves to show their friendship, than through sparring.

Another ANBU chimed in. "Haven't we told you before? Things like you aren't worthy of attention! Nobody will waste their time on you! We'll be waiting right here, because the Uchiha will come out soon and when he does, he'll hand you right over to us."

Sasuke could swear he could see a grin behind the mask.

"After all, he's done it before."

The prodigy's eyes widened at that.

_What? When have I done such a thing? I would not have handed Naruto over to men that obviously had ill will towards him._

_**Are you sure about that?**_

Yes! 

_**So you don't remember the time at the ramen shop?**_

* * *

"Naruto Uzumaki. It's time."

Sasuke turned around from his cup of tea, to glance at the ANBU.

"But I—" 

"Did you think you could avoid us by hanging onto the Uchiha?" The ANBU closest to the demon container grabbed his arm and proceeded to yank the trembling boy off his chair.

"Let's go."

"Sasuke! Please! Let me stay here with you!" Naruto's eyes pleaded and his voice was beginning to crack. "I-I'll do whatever you want! Ju-Just tell them I can stay with you!"

For a second, the ANBU grew quiet, as if asking Sasuke for his permission. But of course, Sasuke brushed that idea off as ludicrous. If the ANBU had a purpose with Naruto, why in the world would they leave him be just because Sasuke said so?

"Are you an idiot? It's obvious, Tsunade is summoning you. So just go! Stop stalling!" Sasuke turned back around in his chair and faced his tea again. If he had looked back, he would have seen something he thought entirely impossible…Naruto crying.

"So you want nothing to do with Uzumaki?" By now, Naruto had fallen to his knees, but was still being held from one arm by an ANBU.

"Of course not. You want him, you can have him." With a wave of his hand, Sasuke dismissed Naruto's pleas.

"Do whatever you want with him."

Naruto began sobbing out loud, but a hand was slapped across his mouth and in the blink of an eye, they had all vanished.

When Naruto had woken up the next morning, it had taken him the rest of the day to wash all the blood from his bedding. And even more time, to try to wash it out of his hardwood floors.

* * *

As the memories played back in his mind—both his and Naruto's—he realized his mistake.

If he had just told the ANBU that he had business with Naruto, they would have left him alone. Nothing they were doing was important and they had even given him a chance to protest. In all truth, he had wanted some time to have Naruto by himself, as the boy had just gotten back from a month long mission. But he wasn't about to show his needs to the entire world. When he thought back upon the event, he knew it was almost impossible that the Hokage would have been summoning Naruto then, because not five minutes before, Sasuke had seen Naruto leaving Tsunade's office, after handing in his mission report. Anything she had to say to him could have been said right then and there. But he hadn't thought to question it, as he had an image to keep up.

_**That's right brat. All you had to do was tell them "No" and they would have left him alone. That was part of the reason that Naruto had found you so quickly after the mission. He had hoped you would protest the guards taking him away. You said you would always protect him, but when it came down to it, you threw him to the wolves. You even told them to do whatever they wanted with him! Do you know how much that hurt him?**_

Of course he did! Now, anyway. He hadn't understood why the boy had been quiet and withdrawn for the rest of the week and certainly couldn't explain his haggard appearance. Every time Sasuke attempted to look the annoying boy in the eye, Naruto had quickly looked away. But again, he showed no concern. He didn't want the boy to think too much about why Sasuke was showing his feelings. Why had he been so selfish?

Sasuke ran into his house, despite the continued yelling from the ANBU. When he got there, Naruto was already at the bottom of the stairs waiting.

He smiled grimly. "Wednesday already, huh? It's like clockwork, they never miss a week."

"Naruto—"

Said boy just turned around and headed back up the stairs.

"You should sleep here tonight. It is your house after all. And they won't leave for a while." He spared the boy a sad glance for just one moment. "I suppose they can do without my services for one night."

* * *

Naruto's things to do in the next chapter:

Explain a bit more about his life to the Uchiha.

Go out on a date with Sakura.

Show Sasuke who's _really_ in control.


	3. Your Ruthlessness

**Disclaimer:** If you see my name on the Naruto manga…let me know.

**Warnings:** Sexual innuendoes and situations. Though no sex…yet. Mwahahaha…oh and yaoi. Forgot to mention that, sorry if you got that far and didn't see it coming. Though none yet.

**Author's Notes:** A longer chapter and a surprising turn of events (family reunion, anyone?)

For clarification purposes (since I don't think I stated it before)

**Sasuke and Naruto are 16 in this story.**

**Sasuke never went to Orochimaru.**

**But Naruto did travel with Jiraya to train…**

**_And_ (this is important) since Sasuke didn't go to Orochimaru he didn't fight Naruto at the Valley of the End, which means, he doesn't have the full sharingan yet. You'll see why it's important by the end of this.**

**Kthxreadon!**

Let me know how I'm doing so far. As always, comments and suggestions welcome.

**Typical Explanations:**

_Italics_ mean thought

**Bold Italics** mean Kyuubi thought.

**XxBrokenxxAngelxx:** Not so much angst in this. Blame my muse. But angst galore in the next chapter! Look forward to it.

**Paradise:** Oh, but there's a reason he's going out with Sakura…more devious Naruto soon, hehe.

**Shadowphoenix143:** Damn straight! Sasuke needs to be put in his place, lol. And thank you very much for the compliments.

**Namine12:** He explains a bit more in this chapter, but the next chapter is when you'll really see it.

**Ichihime:** It's both sasunaru and narusasu…wow, I totally forgot to put that this was yaoi at the beginning. I updated the summary now to show otherwise. Thanks for pointing that out!

And for the rest of you, who didn't ask questions (hehe) thank you very much for leaving reviews! I appreciate it! I wouldn't have updated this fast, if it weren't for you! (ok, this time it took a week but whatever)

* * *

**Story: _I Love…_**

**Chapter 3:** _**Your ruthlessness**_

As he lay beside Naruto on his own bed, the questions he had kept flooding his mind. He knew Naruto wasn't asleep and so, it was with a heavy heart, that he asked some of the questions plaguing his mind.

"So they really come for you every week?"

"Of course. Everyone needs release. I appear to be it."

"Why would you let them do that to you?"

"Do you think I would go so willingly? After a while, I realized it wasn't going to stop. My life would be smoother if I just let them continue with their ways."

"Yes, but…if you had told me, I would have been there. I could have helped you."

"Ah, yes. The Uchiha name goes so far…but if you recall, I did ask you for help. Only one time…and in that one time, you denied me the relief that I desired."

There was no denying such a statement. Now that he knew the truth, it was quite obvious what Naruto referred to.

Sasuke saw his body turn on its side and release a heavy breath.

"If you have any more questions, I'm sure Kyuubi can answer them. I'd rather not delve into the past any more than necesarry."

Sasuke reached out a tanned hand to touch Naruto. But in the end, he realized he wasn't quite sure what he meant to do with the contact. Was it meant for comfort? He would assume that was his first desire. But thinking upon it harder, there wasn't much more comfort he could give Naurto then the fact that his body had been spared from one week of torture. That wasn't assure though. If they had missed their normal day, would they not just come back the next day? Would they wait until next Wednesday and double his punishment. Of course Sasuke new what they did now each week, but besides the violation they had inflicted upon Naruto, was there more? Would they rape him and then beat him? Would they leave him alone, after they were satisfied? Or would there be more to the weekly transgressions that Naruto endured? There was no real way Sasuke could answer this. There wasn't anything in his past that he could draw knowledge from. There was no way he could fathom the pain that Naruto went through everyday. Let alone on days like these.

It wasn't easy to avoid the overtures of sexual desires the people had thrown at him. From the day Sasuke had woken up to his first wet dream though, he knew he wanted nothing more than to bed the one he desired. And of course, he had thought about seeking comfort in the arms of a random stranger, but he couldn't. Something was holding him back. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he had chalked it up to Uchiha standards. He was not going to bed a woman that was not his. He had to revive his clan and children of Uchiha's were not meant to be born out of wedlock.

So he bid his time at the village and waited. When he defeated his brother, he would find a woman that was worthy of siring an Uchiha. Until then…

"Naruto, when did this first start?"

After a few minutes of silence, Sasuke asn't sure Naruto would be inclined to answer. But he knew he was still awake. He could tell by his breathing pattern. Thank the Kyuubi's sense for _something_.

"Did I not tell you to ask of Kyuubi all that you wish to know?"

Sasuke glared at his own back angrily.

_Well?_

_**Since he was ten.**_

_What?! That's insane! He's put up with this for six years?!_

_**I do not repeat myself, child. You figure it out.**_

_But Naruto…_

_**Never seemed that way? What would have liked him to do? He could tell someone, but at the time no one would have believed him. Even now, the chances that he would extract retribution are slim to none. There is no proof, unless he were to go to the Hokage and submit to an exam shortly thereafter. With the seed of another man still within him, he might be able to prove that what he was saying was true. Nonetheless, it's almost a completely futile effort.**_

_I know, but…_

_**Naruto views himself as damaged goods. After all, who could love someone who houses the demon, right? Everyone was affected by my attack and unfortunately…everyone holds him accountable for my actions. And you humans call US demons?**_

Sasuke woke sharply. Something felt off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He glanced to his left to see Naruto still asleep.

It had seemed strange, at first, that Naruto told him to sleep in the same bed. But when he explained that it would look strange if someone (usually Kakashi with his tendencies to pop up randomly) were to come in and find him—or rather Naruto—sleeping in Sasuke's bed, with Sasuke on the couch.

Then again, how did it look with both of them in the same bed, regardless. Sure, they slept next to each other in the same tent on missions, but this was different. At least on missions, they were seperated by sleeping bags and facing the opposite direction. Where as now, Sasuke was waking up to black hair tickling his nose.

Glaring down at his bedmate, Sasuke prepared to smack him awake with a pillow that he held over his head. But he suddenly stopped.

To the casual observer, it looked as if the great Sasuke Uchiha was whimpering.

_**Whimpering.**_

To Sasuke, stuck in Naruto's body, it looked like the blonde boy had a death wish. How dare Naruto sully the Uchiha name by showing any other emotion than the constant "I'm better than you" air of superiority the Uchiha clan had perfected!

_Ok._ Sasuke thought. _And the Hyuuga clan, but the Uchiha clan was much better at it! So what if rumor had it that the sharingan was a deviation of the byakugan._

And yet…

"Please don't…" Naruto managed to make Sasuke look adorably helpess, as he contorted up his face into one of absolute fear. Sasuke easily mimicked Naruto's trademark confused face.

"I'm sorry…" Naruto moaned out loud and continued. "Please let me go. Just this once! I—" He abruptly stopped talking only to let out an anguished scream. Despite Sasuke watching his own body make the sound, just knowing it was Naruto's pain that caused it made his heart clench painfully. Before he had even finished screaming, Naruto sat straight up and opened his eyes, the sharingan visible, even in the early morning darkness.

_Huh…pretty amazing that the idiot could pull of activating the sharingan. Then again, he is in my body._ Sasuke thought smugly.

_**More like he's probably smarter than you, yourself. Idiotic, Uchiha. **_

_What did you say?!_ Sasuke inwardly seethed.

_**You really should give him more credit. As you can already tell, he's much more intelligent then you think. And you're about to find out just how much.**_

_What does that mean?_

Sasuke dropped the pillow he had been holding over his head all this time, in shock.

_Three tomoe? He has __**three**__ tomoe in the sharingan? I haven't even succeeded in always bringing up __**two**__ all the time!_

Sasuke glared down in frustration. How the hell had Naruto managed that, especially in a body that wasn't his? He fists curled around the sheets as he took deep breaths and closed his eyes, to try to calm himself. After hearing Naruto's agony with the nightmare, he didn't want to snap and take out his anger on the boy. Especially when it was apparent the anger would be more about his _own_ problem.

Sasuke didn't have much time to think about it as he heard a groan come from Naruto. Sparing a glance at the boy who now inhabited his body like it was second nature, he noticed Naruto was staring straight at a window in front of him, the sharingan long gone.

If it weren't for the Kyuubi's extra senses, he wouldn't have even been able to hear Naruto mutter "Uchiha…" lowly, but he did and it puzzled him. Since when did Naruto refer to him as that? He was always brash enough to refer to him by his first name and almost always with a deragatory word attached. There wasn't anyone else he could use that last name for…except…

Sasuke sharply turned his head where Naruto was looking, but whatever he was looking at was now gone. As he thought of the possibilities, he barely registered Naruto pouncing on him, pinning him down to the bed.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried out in shock. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sasuke began to buck from underneath his own body, writhing this way and that in an attempt to escape. Naruto leaned over to focus his reappeared sharingan eyes on his victim.

"Why are you struggling, dead-last?" He wrapped his hands around the throat of the boy underneath him. "You know what I want."

Immediately Sasuke's hands flew up around his neck, trying to pry them off. "Stop, dumbass…" Sasuke choked out. "Why are you doing this?" For a split second, Sasuke faltered, as he looked up into his own eyes.

_They're…they're turning into…_

"So you can see it, huh, Naruto?" He saw the lips make out those words above him, but could barely register it. It was getting harder to breathe and he was beginning to feel the blood vessels in his eyes, on the verge of popping. Naruto wasn't playing around. He really intended to kill him!

"You're so close to death, that they're changing already." Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he had laughed, but as he heard Naruto do so in his own voice, he realized it sounded incredibly unnatural.

"The mangekyou sharingan…will be completely mine once you're dead!" Naruto grinned maliciously as the tomoe in his eyes begin to connect and solidify to only further what he said as truth.

He couldn't hold on anymore. Sasuke felt his eyes beginning to roll to the back of his head, but before he slowly surrendered to unconciousness he choked out "You're not like me…don't do this…Naruto."

"What?!" It seemed to snap the boy out of his trance and the red in his eyes disappeared to reveal the coal black of Sasuke's normal eye color.

Naruto blinked and then quickly yanked his hands away from the tanned neck, as if he'd been burned. Sasuke took several quick breaths in between hacking coughs. "What were—"

"Itachi." Naruto interrupted and then turned sharply to dash out of the window he had previously been peering out of.

Sasuke sat on the bed, stunned for a moment, before he snapped out of his daze and ran after Naruto.

_That's why Naruto attacked me! If he kills his most important person, in my body, he'd be able to achieve the final form of the sharingan! And only Itachi would be able to put an idea like that in his head. But…_ Sasuke frowned_. How did he manage to hypnotize…wait!_ Sasuke thought back to when Naruto abruptly sat up, woken from his nightmare to stare out the window.

Following his own familiar chakra—which he noted with more clarity now really was less abundant than Naruto's—he ended up at the largest training field in the Uchiha district. He blanched considerably, when he saw himself standing a few feet in front of his mortal enemy…his older brother. Naruto was talking to him rather amicably, all things considered.

"Why did you hypnotize me, Itachi?" Naruto queried.

He heard his brother chuckle in response.

_We Uchiha's really do sound disturbing showing any form of amusement._

Sasuke landed in the branch of a tree, a safe distance away from them, but close enough to hear the ongoing conversation.

"Why little brother, I was merely helping you in achieving the mangekyou. You'll need it, if you ever plan to get strong enough to defeat me." Itachi paused and let his eyes roam over Sasuke's body. "Although you seem to be underestimating me at the moment. You do not even have the sharingan activated now."

Sasuke saw his body tense up.

"And your chakra appears to be different in some way. Are you well, little brother?" Itachi tilted his head in mock concern. It might have looked genuine, if not for the blood red eyes and the killing intent coming in waves off of him.

"Don't act like you're concerned about me, bastard!" Naruto ground out.

Up in his tree post, Sasuke sighed.

_Stay in character, dumbass. If my brother were to figure out it's you in my body, he won't hesitate to cut your life short, snatch me up and kill two birds with one stone. It would be too easy._

"You can tell your precious Naruto to come out of the tree now. His chakra is much too strong to even conceivably hide in this village."

Sasuke bristled at Itachi's use of 'precious' when concerning his relation to Naruto, but nonetheless stayed put. Naruto looked as if he were thinking for a moment and then said.

"Why should I? We both know he's here. That should be enough," he snarled "_brother_."

Sasuke had been too busy paying attention to Naruto's convincing act in his body to notice Itachi reach into his Akatsuki cloak and withdraw a kunai. He barely registered that his name—well Naruto's—was being yelled out in his voice, before he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Naruto, what—" He stopped cold at the look on his own face. Apparently, Naruto had perfected the "I hate you so much for making me exert myself to save your dumb ass" glare, because even Sasuke had to flinch, when looking into his own eyes. He didn't have time to reflect on how Naruto did it so well, because the next second he felt himself being pulled by his jacket.

The tree he had been residing in exploded before they even reached the ground. Sasuke couldn't believe he hadn't noticed the explosive note Itachi hurled in his direction.

_**I see you haven't gotten used to this body and it's chakra yet, kid. Even Naruto would have been able to detect and dodge those kunai. You are wasting this power.**_ Kyuubi proclaimed proudly.

_Shut up! I'm not going to be in this body long enough to have a need for learning it!_

Naruto landed back in front of Itachi with Sasuke in tow, underneath his right arm like a sack of flour. Glaring at Itachi, he dropped the boy to the ground.

"There, I brought him. Happy now?" Naruto stated.

Sasuke hit the ground with a graceless thud, quite unbefitting of an Uchiha. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about his reputation in Naruto's body. He was about to pull a Naruto and curse the idiot for dropping him, when he felt something wet his neck. He swiped the back of his neck with his fingers and brought his hand up to his face to realize it was blood. The startled prodigy looked up to see Naruto pulling a kunai out of his shoulder.

"Enough vacillating, Itachi. What do you want? Why would you want me to kill Uzumaki, if you need him to extract the Kyuubi?"

Itachi looked as if he was pondering whether his little brother was worthy enough to tell and then shrugged as if saying "you won't be alive to tell anyone, so sure. I'll tell you."

"Ah, yes. Well, I did forget to mention that, didn't I?" The former pride of the Uchiha clan put his index finger to his chin, as if he was in deep thought.

"Stop mocking me!" A Sasuke with Chidori formed in his left hand lunged at Itachi with an angry shout. Itachi stepped to the side and caught his younger brother by the wrist, but as soon as he began twisting it, the boy disappeared only to reappear behind Itachi with another Chidori formed.

Itachi gasped in shock. He only managed to get out the words "A clone?" before the attack hit gold.

The chidori Naruto had made was so bright that Sasuke had to look down at the ground for a moment.

"Naruto, move out of the way!"

Sasuke looked up in time to see Kakashi pull him to the side.

_Damnit! What is with everyone and yanking me around? Wait! What is Kakashi doing here?_

They landed a few feet back from the battle site and waited for the smoke to clear.

Imagine their surprise when they were presented with the image of Sasuke with his hand through Itachi's chest.

Sasuke himself wanted to yell with outrage at the turn of events.

_How could Naruto succeed where I failed?_

"Huh." Kakashi spoke, more to himself than the boy next to him. "I didn't know that Sasuke could create a chidori with that amount of dense chakra. Did he use the sharingan while you were training, to observe how you managed to focus abundant amounts of chakra for your rasengan?"

Sasuke blinked. "Huh?"

Kakashi's eyes did their trademark 'u' shape when he was smiling. "Typical answer from you."

_Of course. _Sasuke thought. _He would be able to create more chakra density than I could, since he has more to control with the Kyuubi. As a result, the chidori would be more powerful, because of such focus. Still…_

A wet sucking sound could be heard, as Itachi attempted to pull away from Naruto's hand. Naruto himself responded by yanking his hand out of Itachi's chest and grabbing both of the once missing nin's arms. He growled as he began twisting them towards each other and placed his left foot on Itachi's back, adding enough pressure to force the older man to drop on his knees to the ground.

"Aren't you going to kill me, little brother?" Itachi was trying to still maintain his usual cool demeanor, but it was hard to be intimidating when every breath you take is accompanied by a sickening sucking noise. Sasuke winced. The hole in the Akatsuki member's chest had obviously pierced his lung. He wouldn't last long, in this condition.

"No, I think not." Naruto replied, nonchalantly. "I'll let the village council decide what to do with you." He punctuated the sentence by pulling Itachi's arms back so far that two pops resounded throughout the field.

Kakashi mused out loud. "He dislocated both his arms. Well, I better step in and settle this."" He then glanced at Sasuke and the boy could swear that Kakashi was still grinning underneath the mask. Probably proud of what he believed his student, Sasuke had accomplished.

"Stay here."

* * *

Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi all sat in front of the Hokage's desk. She had been staring at them for the last five minutes. Her face was impassive, but one could tell that she was variating between being extremely pissed or extremely relieved; perhaps even happy.

"So Itachi just showed up at your house, Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"And he drew you out to a field to fight?"

"Hn."

Tsunade's brow began to furrow, showing her annoyance. "And you won, using a chidori more laden in chakra than you ever have before?"

"Hn."

"Goddamnit, brat! Would you stop answering me in monosyllabic answers!"

"Yes?"

"Argh!" She dug her fingers in her hair and shook her head in exasperation.

"You can't expect me to believe that you weren't even able to _touch _him 3 years ago and yet here you are now, with his blood staining your hands! It took Shizune, Sakura and myself to stabilize him! Power like that would only come from someone like Naruto. Who for some strange reason is being incredibly quiet and didn't even interfere in the fight! Explain yourself! Both of you!"

Sasuke realized that no one had said a word in hours and while that worked perfectly for Naruto in his body, it was a sign of severe sickness in Naruto's body.

"Argh! Tsunade abruptly stood and slammed her fist down on the desk in front of her, cracking it clean down the middle.

Sasuke forced a heady laugh to come out of Naruto's mouth and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Ah! Come on old hag! I just got there too late! If it were me, I woulda killed him!"

_Well, at least the last part is true._ Sasuke thought. He would be mortified if anyone ever found out he was acting this stupid. So better to put on a good show now, than deal with the repercussions later.

At the sound of a chair scraping, everyone looked to the far right, to see the current Sasuke stand up.

"I've trained extensively these past three years. For you to say that you don't believe my training was sufficient enough to beat my brother is akin to saying that Konoha trained me poorly. So if you want to say that about Kakashi, and even as far back as Iruka, so be it." He glared at her. "But I did what I set out to do. Not only did I catch an S-class criminal in the Bingo book, I made this village look good and restored a little bit of faith in Konoha's most prized possession, the Uchiha clan. I avenged my family and my clansmen. What more do you want from me?" Without waiting for an answer, Sasuke left the office.

Tsunade snapped her desk into four pieces. "That snotty brat! He's always so high and mighty. The Uchiha kid thinks he's so much better than everyone else. Kakashi, you're dismissed." Sasuke stood up to leave, assuming she would dismiss him as well.

"Not you, Naruto." She fixed him with a serious gaze. "We need talk. We haven't in a few weeks now."

"Uh, yeah, ok…" She looked at him concerned. "I mean, yeah, old hag!"

She sighed and massaged her forehead. "Naruto, you know you don't have to keep that act up with me."

_She knows?_ He thought.

_**Yes. You can't expect him to want to become Hokage if he acts dumb around them all the time, now can you? You can be yourself. It's close enough to Naruto's personality that she won't notice so much. Just throw in a few jokes here and there and you'll be fine.**_

_Hn._

_**And don't say 'hn'.**_

_Grrr…_

_**Good enough. **_Kyuubi smirked.

"So, Naruto. Now that Sasuke isn't blinded by his complete and total mission of killing his brother and avenging his clan, are you going to tell him?" Even though Tsunade's hands were folded over her mouth, he could make out a small smile.

Sasuke scrunched his face up in confusion. "Tell him what?"

The busty woman rolled her eyes. "You know. How you feel?"

This confused Sasuke even more. "How I feel about what?"

Tsunade threw her hands up in the air, in frustration. "Ok, Naruto. Nevermind. I don't know why you're acting this way. I told you that same-sex couples don't bother me and in reality, there's nothing wrong with it. You fall in love with who you love. Though I can't see the icy Uchiha being anything but an ass to you, but he has saved your life a couple of times." She shrugged at this. "So anything's possible. He probably hasn't even had time to think about it with all his training."

Sasuke was about to say something else, when it clicked. He wasn't a genius for nothing. "Oh."

…_shit._

Now he had to tread carefully. But at the same time, he decided he was going to fish for more info.

"Well, maybe it's just a crush Tsunade. I haven't liked him for that long…"

"Three years is quite a while, Naruto!"

The Uchiha nearly sputtered. _That long?! That's only a year after we became a genin team!_

"Maybe it's just teenage hormones."

"Unfortunately, I've been where you are and knowing you, it might have crossed into love at this point. You've said yourself enough times. Then again," she frowned "with the way the Uchiha acts, you'd think he might have some feelings for you as well, but who knows with him.

_What?! Says who?!_

She smirked evilly. "It seems like he has a permanent stick up his ass, maybe you could dislodge it and replace it with something else."

"You've been hanging around that pervert Jiraiya too long! Besides how do you know he would be the girl in the relationship?"

She grinned widely. "Sas_**Uke**_."

_You bitch! Hokage be damned!_

"I would definitely top!" Sasuke blurted out before thinking.

"Well, sure Naruto. Why not?" She waved her hand dismissively as if the conversation was already boring her. "Pale skin, dark hair and eyes, and wispy curves. He looks like a girl…or an emo. Take your pick. Wait." She paused, looking up in thought. "He already is an emo."

Sasuke had to shove his fist in his mouth to keep from blurting anything unseemly to the Hokage.

She looked at him strangely, of course. "Naruto. What are you doing?"

"Hungry! Gotta go you old biddy!" He yelled out and yanked the office door open without another thought.

* * *

He stormed out of the office and headed to try to find Naruto. Embarassingly enough, he found the boy by sniffing him out.

_I have got to get out of this body. I'm acting like a freaking Inuzuka!_

_**Don't insult me, kid! I am a million times better than anything that clan could produce!**_

_Yeah, yeah. Whatever._

He sat down next to Naruto at the ramen stand.

_Why is Sakura here? Oh yeah, she thinks it's me._ He watched amused, as Sakura talked Naruto's ears off. Sure, it would be painful to endure her once he got his own body back and had to fend off her advances, now that it seemed warranted to her, but for now, this was just fine. Until…

"Really?! You mean it Sasuke?" Sakura had her hands clasped to her chest in utter shock. She than began to squeal like the rabid fangirl she was. "Oh, I'm so happy! A date on Saturday night, with Konoha's number one bachelor!"

Sasuke choked on the tea that he had just picked up. "What?!"

It was then that Naruto deemed Sasuke's presence noticeable. "Oh, what do you want, dead-last?" He propped his chin up on the palm of his hand, his upper-arm flush with the table.

Sasuke pointed an accusatory finger at Naruto. "You can't go out with Sakura!"

"Sure, I can. Now that Itachi's gone, I can focus on reviving my clan. Jealous, Uzumaki?" He could swear Naruto was laughing on the inside.

"No! And you're sixteen! What the fuck?!" Sasuke was almost foaming at the mouth. Sure he needed to revive his clan, but with Sakura of all people?

"Clan rules state that once I can perform a Katon jutsu, I'm considered an adult. I've been doing that for years. Also, sixteen is exactly the age when I'm supposed to pick a bride. The Hyuuga boy is already betrothed as well." Naruto said, yawning to express his opinion that any idiot should already know this. Especially one Uchiha idiot, he was talking to at the moment.

Sasuke growled and leaning next to Naruto's ear whispered. "You went through my stuff! In my room!"

"I told you I would." Naruto smiled at his rival.

"Yes, but you also said you would jack off watching the mirror and—" Sasuke paled. "You _didn't_…?"

"I had nothing else to occupy my time. I would usually be getting gang-banged in a dark alleyway at this point, but you took care of that for me this time. What else was I supposed to do to pass the time?" Naruto replied solemnly.

At this, the Uchiha shut up, knowing there was no appropriate comeback for that. No matter how much he acted outwardly, he cared for Naruto too much to want anything like that to happen to him again. Too bad it had already been happening for six years now.

He slid off the stool and mumbled, "I'm going to train" before heading off for the Uchiha grounds. As he walked off, he thought glumly.

_What the hell am I going to do?_

* * *

**Chapter notes aka **_**how the hell could Naruto beat Itachi?!:**_ Now that these won't be spoilers, I'm under the impression that Sasuke only achieved three tomoes (commas) in his sharingan eye at the fight between Naruto and him at the Valley of the End. Since that event didn't happen in my story line, it would be amazing for Sasuke to see that level of sharingan, at this point.

Also, my boyfriend and I had a long debate as to whether or not Naruto would actually be able to throw a more powerful chidori than Sasuke would. I said yes and I won…slightly. The reason is that when Sasuke trained with Kakashi to acquire and successfully utilize the chidori, he used taijutsu training as endurance, thereby expanding his chakra.

Whereas, Naruto trained with Jiraya to _control _the abundant amount of chakra he already _had_ to make his rasengan. So it would be assumed that Naruto could actually form the chidori with more potency because he has better chakra control than Sasuke. This is proven in Naruto episode #10, when Kakashi has them climb trees as a way to control chakra. If you'll remember, Sasuke and Naruto were evenly matched for quite a while, while only Sakura succeeded quickly.

And as further reminder that Naruto would be more powerful than Sasuke at this point, since he hasn't trained under Orochimaru; in episode 108 when Sasuke and Naruto spar on the hospital roof, they leave rasengan and chidori holes in the water tower. But upon looking at the exit holes it's obvious that Naruto's rasengan is more powerful than Sasuke's chidori.

I hope that I explained my reasoning better. I didn't just want to put that in the chapter and say "Well, it's my story, so I don't need a reason!"

I actually did have a logical thought behind that.

And when I started writing this, I didn't even plan on Itachi showing up . Damn muse…it just came out!

* * *

Naruto's things to do in the next chapter:

1) Bring sexy back, in the form of one hot Uchiha bachelor

2) Show Sasuke what he looks like in Sexy no Jutsu form

3) Angst...and make Sasuke appear more emo than he already is


	4. Your Impetutiousness

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, sure. Naruto belongs to me…along with Microsoft. Believe what you will. We all know better.

**Warnings:** Lime! **Ha!** Nothing major, since clothes are still on. But I warned you!

Wait…does angst warrant a warning? Naaaahhhh!

**SaKaMo:** Wow o.O; I goofed. I'm writing four stories at once (though only posting this one at the moment) and they're not all based on the same time-frame. Most of the rest of them have Sasuke heading off to Sound and I wrote the first chapter quite a while before the rest and forgot I had Sasuke in Sound at all. I'll have to redo the first chapter later.

Thank you very much for pointing out the mistake to me! I don't take it as an insult at all.

**Paradise:** Ah, yes. Itachi…he's coming back in the next chapter.

**Candicehrt:** There! I continued. Do I get a cookie? Sugar or chocolate chip please!

**Ichihime:** On a subconscious level, he_ is_ making Sasuke jealous. Though he doesn't actually mean to. The next chapter will explain it.

**Hime:** Yes, Sasuke does have secrets. hehe 

And for the rest of you, who reviewed, but didn't ask questions, (phew!) thank you very much! I appreciate it.

Typical Explanations:

_Italics_ mean thought

**Bold Italics** mean Kyuubi thought.

**Author's Notes:** I started with a lime quite near the beginning…instead of the typical 'at the end' plot. Go me?

_And, as previously mentioned, I made a mistake in chapter 1, saying Sasuke came back from Sound and then saying he never left at all in chapter 3. But it would ruin big parts of the plot, if Sasuke were ever with Orochimaru. So let's just stick with the idea he never did. Hehe._

Again, let me know how I'm doing so far. As always, comments and suggestions welcome. Especially the comments that point out mistakes I can correct. I'm all for constructive criticism. I need it.

* * *

**Story: _I Love…_**

**Chapter 4:** _**Your Impetutiousness**_

Sasuke's eye twitched. After training all day, he had taken a shower and gone down to the kitchen to get something to eat for dinner.

Had he known his cabinets would be filled with more flavors of ramen than the number of girls in his fan club, he would have just as well starved. He slammed the cabinet shut and stomped upstairs.

Once he reached his room, with the king-size bed, dark blue, silk sheets, and darkness just about everywhere one looked, he glared hard.

Last night, he had to sleep in a guest bedroom, while Naruto had managed to stretch himself to all four corner's of the Uchiha's enormous bed. He had even stained the pillow underneath him with drool, practically claming it as his own.

Infuriated, the rightful owner of the luxury bed stomped over to Naruto. The boy had finished training before him and had lain down to nap. He reached down to yell in Naruto's ear, but ended up on the bed, right next to him. It took the brooding teenager a moment to realize that Naruto had leaned forward, in his sleep, albeit, and grabbed Sasuke, yanking the pissed-off avenger down to rest next to him. Normally, Sasuke would believe a person to be awake at this point, but numerous overnight missions with Naruto had shown him that not only was the kyuubi's vessel a heavy sleeper, but a wild one, as well.

"Mmm…Sasuke." Naruto intoned, turning to the side and cuddling with his captive. Sasuke froze and gulped, as he began trying to break the hold he was in. This didn't deter the knuckle-head in the least and in fact, he leaned closer to the Uchiha, licking his neck lightly with the lap of his tongue.

Gasping in surprise, Naruto's stunned victim was unsure of his next move. Sasuke's knowledge of physical content only extended to the fangirls clinging to his arm…and of course, the accidental kiss Naruto and he had shared. But he didn't count that. Nonetheless, he couldn't deny his curiosity about these types of things, but physical relationships, or relationships of any type for that matter, were not things he was sure he could indulge in.

But at the moment, Naruto didn't seem to mind one bit. When he began nibbling on Sasuke's neck, the poor boy had to smack his hand over his mouth, in order to avoid moaning out loud.

_Why in the hell am I getting hard?_ He shot a look at the Kyuubi's cage from the confines of his head. _Are you in heat, or something?_

**_Ha!_** Kyuubi's laughter roared in his mind. _**You **__**wish**__** you could blame your hormones on something as asinine as an animal's heat. No, Uchiha. I am all male. **_The demon preened proudly.

_Morning wood, then._ Sasuke reasoned. _That's all it is._

Kyuubi snickered. _**At 1:30 in the afternoon?**_

_Shut up!_

"Ah!" Sasuke's molestation now included Naruto's leg rubbing against his hardening arousal. "N…Naruto…knock it off." Sasuke hissed. The Uchiha began to writhe underneath the ministrations his best friend was administering, panting softly.

_**Look brat. I can tell that Naruto actually is asleep. Just lay back and enjoy yourself. For once, indulge.**_

Sasuke gritted his teeth, relenting silently. _Hard to do with your commentary, fox._

_**Mmm….right.**_ Kyuubi's consciousness faded from the forefront of his mind.

Still squirming, Konoha's golden boy shook his head in disbelief.

_I can't believe I'm letting him do this._

Head swimming and eyes glazed over with lust, Sasuke knew he wouldn't last long. It wasn't as if it didn't feel good, but he wasn't sure if they should really be doing these sorts of things. Especially since they were teammates, best friends, and rivals.

The body swap did not make it any easier. Even though he knew the moans were coming from himself, hearing them in Naruto's voice only succeeded in turning him on even more. Belatedly, Sasuke realized that if the sound of Naruto's moaning in pleasure caused this type of reaction in himself, he couldn't really be all that adverse to sexual situations with the boy. But after all that Naruto had been through, why would he want to do something like this with someone he claimed to hate so much?

_Of course, it's because he really doesn't hate me as much as he outwardly says._

Only a short time away from achieving release, Sasuke suddenly glanced at the boy next to him. Although it was obvious Naruto was having a perverted dream about him, Sasuke wasn't sure that necessarily meant release for his current "right hand". Even though his friend had been the one to initiate the current situation, it didn't seem fair to Sasuke for Naruto not to be able to come as well.

But that didn't mean the Uchiha was going to jack Naruto off. Yet he couldn't imitate the pervert's method of rubbing his groin up against Naruto's leg, as said method pretty much immobilized him from doing so.

_Be he __**is**__ a heavy sleeper._

Sasuke grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt, lifting the boy on top of him. He wouldn't have normally considered anyone being on top of him in a sexual situation, but if perchance his friend were to wake up, he could avoid more embarrassment than was necessary.

But luck had not been on the only sane Uchiha's side the past few days. Sasuke loosened his grip and ended up being hoisted on top of the now-brunette teen. He couldn't even begin to imagine how someone who ate nothing but ramen ended up being lighter than him. If he were in his own body, he wouldn't have overcompensated when it came to weight, landing him in the position he was now.

Most of thoughts jumped ship, when he felt his teammate's erection grind against his own.

"Fuck." He hissed quietly, still coherent enough not to voice his opinions too loudly. Tantalizingly slow, Naruto began a smooth rhythm between the two of them. As the pace began to quicken, Naruto's moans and panting grew louder. This disturbed Sasuke a bit, if only because the sounds coming from his own body were arousing all on their own. The females of Konoha hadn't been lying when they happily proclaimed that Sasuke must have a sexy bedroom voice.

Said teen looked down at his own pale face, now flushed deeply, mouth opening to pant softly and then closing to bite his lip, when Sasuke ground against him harder. Sasuke buried his face in the alabaster neck. It was awkward enough hearing his own voice in such an alluring way. He wasn't sure he wanted to see his face in the throes of passion too. But he inwardly smiled. Naruto struck him as a person that probably masturbated quite a bit. But Sasuke had never bothered and with only a few wet dreams under his belt, he knew the impending orgasm would be more intense in his body than what his friend was used to. An errant though entered his head, before he could deter the specific line of thinking.

_I wish he was in his own body, so I could watch his face as he comes._

_**Ha! I knew it! **_Kyuubi laughed.

Sasuke was too high on Cloud Nine to retort.

"God, Naruto!" Sasuke buried his face in dark hair in an attempt to stifle his moans. "It feels so good." He was so close.

"Sasuke! Sasuke I'm gonna come!" Naruto yelled.

That was all Sasuke needed to send him reeling over the edge in a blissfully intense orgasm.

As he came down from his high, Naruto screamed out his name, coming hard. So hard, in fact that he woke up, slowly opening his eyes. Orgasm quickly forgotten, his dropped his mouth open in shock.

It took a moment for Naruto to register what was happening. When his thought slid into place though, he yelped and scrambled backwards, falling off the bed in a haphazard manner.

"Dead-last!" Sasuke growled. Naruto tensed, waiting to be yelled at for his indiscretion. "Why are you trying to make me look bad? An Uchiha does not fall off the bed!"

Naruto blinked, as if waiting for more. He looked down at his flimsy pajama pants and the wet spot that adorned the crotch of them. He glanced at Sasuke, in his body, and noticed him in the same state.

"So you're not…I mean, I thought I was just…" Naruto began to find the floor incredibly interesting, as he mumbled "having a wet dream."

The young genius weighed his words carefully. He couldn't manage to be too upset at his clumsy teammate. Not necessarily because he knew how Naruto felt about him, but more because—at this point—he wasn't sure how he felt about Naruto. He had never really thought about it. Sure, he had risked his life for the blonde a number of times, but that type of reaction was expected when it came to a teammate. Nevertheless, he was digressing and Naruto was waiting for an answer.

"I don't expect this to occur again." He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "But we're sixteen year old males, these things happen." He headed towards the bathroom and stopped when he ended up next to his best friend, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Leaning closer to Naruto with an evil smirk on his face he whispered in his ear. "Besides, as you can see, it's not as if I didn't enjoy it dead-last."

Naruto gasped in surprise and gawked at his rival. Sasuke couldn't resist running his fingers through Naruto's hair and lightly ghosting the tips of his fingers at the nape of the teen's neck, watching him shiver in delight. "And it was quite amusing to hear you scream my name."

Naruto scrunched up his new Uchiha face and glared. "I can't help it. You're really sensitive! It was so intense!"

At this, Sasuke chuckled. "Well moron, that could be because I've never indulged in self-gratification before, let alone done anything sexual with anyone."

Naruto's eyes widened and he sputtered. "No way! You mean, you've never jacked off before? You really _are_ a frigid bastard!" He crowed, triumphantly, happy to be right for once.

The real Uchiha rolled his eyes and placed his hand back at his own side. "I'm going to take a shower." He paused at the bathroom door and turned back to the source of his current confusion. "Hey…"

Naruto turned around to face Sasuke. He smiled brightly. "Yes, Sasuke?" The expectant look on his face surprised the angsty teen. It took him a second to realize that Naruto had also called him by his name, for once. And without any derogatory comments attached to it.

Why would he be looking at me like that? 

Kyuubi sighed, already knowing where this was heading. _**He expects you to comment more.**_

_On?_

_**On why exactly it is that you enjoyed the sexual activity you two engaged in.**_

_I already explained. I'm a horny teenage boy. What else is there?_

_**You know exactly what else there is! Don't play dumb. It only works for Naruto. Despite the fact that you're both males, there is still the possibility of a relationship developing from this. Or at least…**_

Kyuubi's voice was laced with sadness. He knew it didn't matter what he said.

_**…that is what Naruto is hoping.**_

Sasuke contemplated this.

_Fuck._

Outwardly, he looked at his friend and spoke softly.

"Don't read too much into this, ok? You're my friend and that's it. " He quickly turned around to enter the shower and close the door behind him. He didn't need the sharingan to see Naruto's entire demeanor change. It was only a second, but in that time, Sasuke could see everything running through his head.

_Sadness_…at the whole situation.

_Anger_…at himself for believing there would be more than this.

_Despair_…that he would never experience the unconditional love and dedication of another.

_Desperation_…he just wanted someone to love him, at this point almost anyone would do.

* * *

_**Are you happy now, Uchiha?**_ The fox demon snarled at the male he shared living quarters with.

_What would you have me do? __**Force**__ myself to love him?_

_**No! Don't insult my intelligence! But you could at least give the relationship a try!**_

_And when it doesn't work out, Naruto will end up with more doubt and self-loathing than before._ At this, Kyuubi grew silent.

The sound of Naruto yelling made the Uchiha open the bathroom door and run back into the bedroom.

"What happened?!" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto was rolling on the floor, holding his foot. "Ah! I stubbed my toe on the dresser." He replied sheepishly.

Sasuke bristled and yelled. "Damnit, Naruto! Stop acting like an idiot! I know by now that it's all just for show."

Naruto stood up sharply to glower at Sasuke. "What would _you_ know? You don't know anything more about me, then what I've let you learn."

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "I know that you and Tsunade have regular talks."

If it was possible, Sasuke saw his own complexion pale a bit. "What?"

"That's right. After you stormed off in an over-exaggerated attempt at acting like me, Tsunade made me stay behind."

Naruto's hands fisted at his side. "And what did she say?" He questioned softly.

_**Sasuke**_. The Kyuubi spoke. _**Stop. I know you always feel the need to one up Naruto, but let this one slide.**_

_No. I'll stop tap-dancing around this issue **now**._

"She asked you, Naruto," he said slowly, enunciating each word "if you had told me how you felt about me." He finished smugly.

Naruto had apparently been suspecting this sort of answer and had decided to try his hand at subterfuge. "You're lying. Just as you said, it's teenage hormones. I just needed release and that's what happened earlier."

"Even with my face, you're not too good at lying, idiot." Sasuke stalked slowly toward his friend. His eyes softened a bit and he reached out to place his hand lightly on the boy's cheek. "Naruto look. I can't return those kinds of feelings. Until recently, all I thought about was killing my brother. There was no room for anything else." He forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, you experienced first-hand how I don't even take the time to masturbate." At this, Naruto slapped his hand away.

"I don't need your sympathy, bastard! I really care about you and…" He took a deep breath and collected himself. "Forget about it. It would have been better, if you hadn't found out."

"Damnit, Naruto!" Sasuke sighed in frustration. "What do you want from me?!" He grabbed the front of the boy's shirt. "I _do_ care for you, just not in the way you want me to and I don't want you to think that—"

Naruto interrupted him. "That what? That the stupid Kyuubi boy will spend his entire life alone? I'm not stupid, Uchiha. I know most everyone despises me, but I thought you at least, understood me a bit better…" He looked down at the floor morosely "that you didn't hate me too…"

Sasuke sighed again. "I don't hate you, moron…far from it."

Naruto mewled softly, resigned to his fate. He went over to the bed and sat back down, propping his elbows upon his knees and placing his face on his hands. "I'm tired of being alone, Sasuke. I know that I'm weak…wanting what I can never have. But I should know better by now, right? So let's just forget this ever happened, k?" Naruto smiled weakly at his crush. "You're the only one that really cares. I mean, Iruka, Tsunade, and even that pervert hermit care, but it's not the same. If you'll at least stay my best friend, I can be satisfied with that. I won't expect anything else anymore. Thank you for making it clear to me." Swiping at the wetness on his face, Naruto realized that he was crying. He furiously wiped away the tears when he felt the bed dip, indicating Sasuke was sitting next to him. "In reality, I knew better than to expect anything else." He mumbled.

He blinked in confusion when he felt Sasuke's arms wrap around him. It was a comforting gesture, but he couldn't completely relax in it.

"Naruto, don't listen to what anyone else says. Just listen to me." He took the teen's chin in his hand and forced Naruto to look him in the eyes. "You're not a monster, just because you hold the demon inside of you. You're obviously smarter than people know and I don't understand why you're hiding it, but—"

"Because if people knew that the demon boy was smart, they'd have more reason to fear me. They'd hate me more. I never would have made it into the academy, if they thought I would succeed. As it was, the villagers were quite upset that I made it to Gennin. It was only the former Hokage who pressed for the council to allow it. I'm not stupid, I'll never be Hokage. I probably won't even be allowed to be a Jounin. Not unless the council believes I can be molded as an unconditionally loyal tool and that's something I just can't do." He stopped his speech when he felt rough lips capture his own.

"Sasuke, what…"

"Naruto. I can't give you much more than this, but for one night…let me comfort you a bit." Sasuke placed a hand over Naruto's.

"But…"

"Just close your eyes and rest, moron. Have another fantastic dream of me, or something." He lay down on the bed, pulling Naruto with him.

Naruto hesitated before snuggling deeper into Sasuke's chest and wrapping his arms around the boy's waist. For the time in months, he slept without a single nightmare.

* * *

When Sasuke woke up he noticed that Naruto had already left; presumably for his date with Sakura.

Since, there was nothing but ramen in his house, Sasuke decided to go shopping. But when he got halfway to the market he spotted Sakura and Naruto.

In the alley.

In the middle of a passionate make-out session.

Naruto had managed to find a royal blue button down shirt and black slacks, in Sasuke's closet. With the shirt un-tucked and a tie hanging loosely off his neck, Sasuke had to admit that the fangirls would probably find the outfit the epitome of sexy. But right now, only Sakura was indulging in his body, as her hand began snaking up the boy's back, underneath his shirt. At the change of pace, Naruto broke the contact their lips had made and began to lightly nibble on her neck, coaxing a soft moan out of the girl.

"Mmm…Sasuke."

"Yes, Sakura?" Naruto answered, reaching up to lick the corner of her ear.

_What the fuck? I would never act like this! Is Sakura that blind?_

_**Considering her constant pursuit of you all these years, no matter how cold you were to her…I'd say yes.**_ The fox demon snickered.

_Naruto can __**not**__ do that in my body._

_**Come now, Uchiha. Is it really the fact that he's doing that to her in your body, or the fact that he's doing that to someone other than you that riles you?**_

Sasuke didn't deign that question deserved answering, as he stalked over to the pair of teenager's and yanked Naruto out of Sakura's embrace.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Sasuke sneered.

"Well, I was happily indulging in Sakura, until you came and interrupted us." He yanked his arm from Sasuke's grip and fixed his face in a bored expression. "What do you want, dumbass?"

Sasuke was about to tell him exactly who the dumbass really was, when he remembered that Sakura was still standing there. But it was a little too late, as she had already slammed her fist on the top of his head. "Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing? Can't you tell Sasuke and I are busy?"

Sasuke glowered at her from his position on the ground, rubbing his sore head. "Yes, I can see that you're incredibly busy having him ram his tongue down your throat."

Sakura clenched her fists again and was ready to beat the crap out of, who she believed to be, Naruto, when she saw Sasuke turn around.

"Forget it, I can't be bothered by you now. It's annoying." He began to walk toward the inner regions of the town.

Sakura quickly turned around. "Sasuke, honey! Where are you going?"

Naruto didn't even turn around. He just waved a hand to her and said. "I've got a date with Ino about now. Don't want to make her wait."

"What?!" Sakura screeched. She turned to refocus her anger on Naruto. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't interrupted us, Sasuke would still be with me and not going to that Ino-pig!"

Sasuke stood up and brushed himself off. "And you don't care that he's going on a date with Ino, right after being with you?" He looked at her as if he could care less, but he still voiced his opinion.

"Well…" Sakura began kicking up dirt on the ground with her high-heeled shoes, dirtying them sufficiently, before she looked back up at her blonde teammate. "I know that Sasuke has to pick a fiancée and I'm sure that once he's dated a few girls, he'll realize that I'm the one for him."

Sasuke stared in shock. "A few?"

"Well, yeah." Sakura nodded. "I know that he has a date with Ino today and then one with Ten-ten this afternoon and I think he has one with Anko tonight." She made a face. "She's such an old hag."

"Uh…Sakura, I'm pretty sure she's only in her 20's."

"Well, whatever. Why would he date her?"

"Yes…I'd like to know that myself." He took off running down the street. "I'll see you later, Sakura."

"Bye, Naruto!" She waved to the prankster, before speaking aloud.

"Hey, he didn't even say 'believe it' once. Is he sick?"

0000000000000000000000000

Sasuke had spent hours searching around Konoha, but he couldn't find "himself" anywhere. Well, Naruto. Suddenly, though, a girl jumped into his arms and cried. "Save me!"

"What the hell? Get off me!" She had managed to topple him to the ground in her attempt to leap into his arms and he was trying unsuccessfully to push her off.

"Sasuke, help me! They're trying to rape me!" Sasuke paused when he heard his name. "What the..?"

The girl jumped off him and he took the time to study her for a bit.

She had long ebony hair that ended in the middle of her back. Pale skin that seemed to glow unnaturally under the sun; complimented with coal black eyes. Sasuke twitched his eye when the girl rubbed her breasts up against his chest. They were almost the size of his head! The girl was wearing an outfit similar to Tsunade's except the main color was black with red lining. It sunk in quickly who this girl was.

"Naruto! I'll kill you right now if you don't get my body out of your stupid perverted jutsu!"

"It was the only way I could escape! Besides, after the mob of girls was done with me, I only had the pants left on! It'd be worse, if I walked around town like that."

"Uh…weren't you supposed to be with Anko?" Sasuke was dragging the girl back to the Uchiha district. The sooner he could get her out of sight, the sooner he could make Naruto change his body back.

"Yeah, but she did this weird jutsu…and next thing I know, there was a snake jacking me off."

"WHAT?!?!?! You let her touch my body?!"

"Hey, man." Naruto grinned deviously. "She's kinky. Think of what an older woman could teach you."

"I don't want to know!" They had reached Sasuke's house and he opened the door and threw the boy in. "Now, change back!"

The girl pouted. "Oh, fine! I look hotter as a girl than you, anyway!" A second later, he was the male Sasuke again. He grabbed a soda from the fridge and plopped down on the couch, exhausted from the day's event. Sasuke sat in the chair across from him and glared.

After 10 minutes of this, Naruto sighed in exasperation. "I know you want to ask me something. So what is it?"

"If you love me so much, what were you doing violating Sakura and why are you dating hordes of girls?"

Sasuke saw the evil smile that graced his own features. "Well, Sasuke. I told you. I don't want to be alone anymore. And I can certainly fill the void with all these females running around after you, can't I?"

"Do you take me for a fool, Naruto? I know you're not that shallow!"

"You're right." Naruto frowned and then headed for Sasuke's bedroom. "But it's nothing that concerns you anymore, Uchiha. Go to bed."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and twisted it behind his back, slamming Naruto against the wall, face first. "If you want sex that bad…if you want to feel loved…then…" Sasuke tried to think of what to do, but he ended up not thinking at all and just blurting the first thing that came to mind. "Then do it with me!"

Naruto jerked his head around to fix Sasuke with a look of surprise. "What?!"

"You heard me. I don't want you to do just anyone that opens her legs. You deserve better than that and..." Sasuke turned his gaze to the side, not wanting to look Naruto in his eyes. This was embarrassing enough.

"Let me ease your pain, Naruto. For one night, you can have me. Just as you wanted."

"But…"

Sasuke steeled himself and pushed Naruto on the bed, crawling on top of him and began to unbuckle his belt. "Don't think about it, moron. I won't let another nameless face have you. You're _**mine**_."

* * *

Naruto's things to do in the next chapter:

1) ??????

2) ???????????

3) ????????????????

Naruto can't imagine the depravity of the things that happen in the next chapter.

Woo! And **_that's_** how you end a chapter...with a cliffhanger! avoids projectiles I swear, I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow evening! Don't kill me!


	5. Your resolve

Disclaimer: If Naruto belonged to me…Sakura might have actually been useful before Shippuuden.

Warnings: Yaoi! But still, no sex. So, don't kill me. It was a tough decision (no really!)

Author's notes: I fixed chapter 1. So anyone reading this from the beginning will understand now. Also, I know I said this would be out Friday, but I hit a road block with it. I went through four different versions of this before I finally found one that I thought fit. And even then, I'm not really sure. Urgh. Forgive me, if it doesn't seem like it flows. But I made up for the long wait, with my longest chapter yet! W00t!

Typical Explanations:

_Italics_ mean thought

**Bold Italics** mean Kyuubi thought.

000000000000000000000

Story: I Love…

Chapter 5: Your resolve

Sasuke quietly began unbuckling Naruto's pants.

"Do you want to be top or bottom?" He asked the question in the same tone of voice you would use to talk about the weather. It irritated Naruto to no end.

"What the hell kind of question is that? You bastard!" Naruto tried to punch Sasuke in the face, as hard as he could manage. He missed, of course, and Sasuke used the opportunity to grab his wrist and quickly grabbed the other to pin Naruto's arms above his head. He leaned down to trail his tongue along Naruto's bottom lip. When the teen didn't respond, Sasuke began to nibble as well. This action drew a small whimper from the boy underneath him, allowing Sasuke to slip into the warm cavern of his mouth. He was pretty amazed he didn't taste ramen. A moment later, Sasuke inwardly smiled as he felt Naruto begin to lean into the kiss.

0000000000000

With the departure of Kyuubi from his mind, there was no one for Naruto to receive advice from anymore. No one to give him impartial feedback on rather intricate situations. Of course, that didn't mean there weren't two sides warring with one another at this moment. In fact, Naruto was doing even more thinking with only himself as a guide, than he ever did with the demon guiding him.

_Why is he doing this? Doesn't he understand that instead of helping, this is hurting me? I get to try just a taste of what I cannot have? A nice little Sasuke sample all bundled up, complete with a red bow and cooperating boy…can I really pretend this is ok? Just so I can have this one memory?_

Sasuke obviously anticipated the thought pattern he was having, because he moved to place a kiss on his friend's shoulder. "You're thinking too much, Naruto."

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. "Then make me forget." Sasuke smiled down softly at his teammate.

In a few minutes they were down to nothing but boxers, both of them flush with need. Sasuke lowered the front of Naruto's boxers and then paused to look up at him. "Hey, moron. Pay attention."

Naruto blinked and failed at complete coherency, but it was good enough. "Huh?"

The ninja rolled his eyes and told Naruto harshly. "Don't tell _anyone_ about this. Not even Tsunade, who you seem to constantly confide in. Got it?"

Naruto sighed softly. "Of course not."

_Because you wouldn't want anyone to know you'd been with the loud, stupid, demon boy. Yeah, I understand perfectly. Why did I think you were any different?_

_**You just keep outdoing yourself. Don't you, Uchiha?**_ Kyuubi snarled.

_What do you want now? I'm busy. _Sasuke sighed inwardly.

_**Forget it. I won't waste my breath on the likes of you.**_

Sasuke frowned, but focused on the task at hand. Tentatively, he began licking the head of Naruto's cock, which earned him a loud moan from the boy. Sasuke took a deep breath and released it quickly, trying to quell his nervousness. Lunging forward, he took the head of Naruto's cock in his mouth, sucking softly. As he began to add the use of his tongue, he could feel Naruto burying his fingers in his hair. Knowing that he was giving his friend so much pleasure spurred his desire and he found himself painfully hard. He didn't have to focus on this though, as he felt Naruto's hand attempt to push his head down further.

For a second, he thought of biting Naruto in defiance, but even _he_ wasn't that cruel. So to accommodate his friend, he moved his mouth further down.

"Sasuke…it feels so good." Naruto writhed underneath him and he starting sucking harder, as he moved up and down on Naruto's length faster. "Ah! Stop!" Sasuke blinked in confusion.

Of all the things Naruto could have said, 'stop' was not one he expected. He was positive he had misheard, but the hand that had been pushing him down was now yanking at his hair. And while it would probably be funny to see Naruto with bald spots, Sasuke didn't feel like enduring the pain that would come with it.

He sat up and pulled Naruto's hand out of his hair. "What is it? I thought you wanted to have sex with me?"

Naruto winced. Trust Sasuke to be incredibly blunt about the situation. "I do, but—"

Sasuke leaned forward and pressed on incessantly. "I'll be on bottom. I don't expect you to take it from me, after all you've been through, so—"

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and yelled "I'd rather have sex with someone who loves me! I don't want a pity fuck, Sasuke." Even embarrassed as he was, he managed to keep his eyes level with Sasuke's. "Please don't make me feel like some kind of whore. That's been going on all my life and if—" he choked on his own words "if my best friend were to treat me like that, I couldn't take it."

Sasuke stared at his friend in shock. He certainly didn't see Naruto that way at all. Honestly, he thought _he_ was the whore…sleeping with his teammate, just because the boy wanted him. A hand placed on his own stirred him from his internal thoughts.

"Sasuke, I really do appreciate what you were going to do for me. Whether it was for a friend or a teammate." He smiled a bit. "Although, I'm hoping it's more of the former."

Naruto began putting his clothes in the dirty hamper, as well as Sasuke's. When he was done, he laid down in bed next to his confused friend. He then buried himself underneath the blanket and sighed in content. Sasuke stared at his back for a while, lost in his own thoughts, before Naruto started him by speaking.

"I can wait."

Sasuke tried to think of what he was referring to, but remained stumped. "For?"

"You to make up your mind. I know you need time to think, especially since we're dealing with this jutsu I screwed up, and your brother back in Konoha. And so, maybe after a while, you'll realize that you're really just like me."

Sasuke yanked Naruto around by the shoulder to face him. "What did you say?" He didn't ever want to be compared to Naruto. He was nothing like the boy, even without the act Naruto usually put forth.

Naruto fixed Sasuke with a sharingan-laced glared. "Truth hurt? Admit it, Sasuke. You're all alone. Just like me. You've always been all alone. No matter how much you thought otherwise. And just like me, you need someone to care about you, hold you at night, and protect you from the darkness. If you keep allowing the loneliness to swallow you up, the darkness will as well."

Sasuke sat up angrily. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Uzumaki. Unlike you, I _had_ a family. Girls fall at my feet. I'm the last of one of the founding clans of Konoha. One of—if not _the_ most—prestigious, well-known clans. Compared to me, you are nothing." He hissed.

_**Uchiha!**_ Kyuubi growled lowly. _**Control you're temper.**_

Shut the hell up! 

Sasuke continued. "Kakashi trained me, not you, one-on-one. I don't get threatened or yelled at for housing a demon inside me. I don't fall into stupid traps and I'm not annoying!"

Naruto grinned widely. It looked entirely evil on the Uchiha's face, but Sasuke had an idea it would look plain animalistic on Naruto's.

He sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"You're right, bastard. I never did have a family with a psychotic brother to kill them all off before I even hit puberty. I never shared a _special_ bond with my older brother." He chuckled as Sasuke managed to make Naruto's skin pale considerably.

"What? I don't—" 

"The sharingan, Sasuke. Besides the jutsu you've learned, it seems to like to play back your memories.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the shoulder. His teammate looked highly amused and it wasn't helping Sasuke's nerves at this point.

Naruto closed his eyes and mimicked Sasuke's younger voice. It was pretty accurate, considering that he actually was in Sasuke's body.

"Oh, big brother!" He vocalized in a not-so-innocent way. "I wanna take a bath with you again today, but I'm still sore from last night."

At this, Sasuke clapped his hands over his ears, trying in vain to block out Naruto's voice. But Naruto wasn't going to let this slide. He was through being Sasuke's mental punching bag. He didn't deserve it and now that the tables had turned, he was going to enjoy this as much as possible. No matter how taboo the subject.

"Brother. Why do you call it milk? It doesn't taste like it at all!" Sasuke dropped his hands away from his ears, horrified.

"Shut up, asshole!" His voice wavered a bit as he tried to control the tears that threatened to spill from crystal blue eyes. Naruto looked on amused.

_Sadly, those guys were right. I __**do**__ look adorable, with tears in my eyes._ He frowned and decided he needed more fun-with-Sasuke time to take his mind from his weird thoughts.

"I'm really amazed that you played inflatable doll for your brother. I guess it makes sense, considering that you couldn't get attention from him otherwise. You really didn't get attention from anyone, did you? What was it like to be treated like a stepchild in your own family?"

Sasuke's head snapped up and his mouth opened to begin speaking before he could help it.

"They hated me. I could tell. He grimaced, repeating the words of his father. "It's such a shame that we had to have Sasuke. Itachi is a credit to our clan, but Sasuke…Sasuke is such a disgrace." He glared at Naruto, hating him for bringing up the past. "I know what they said."

For a second, Naruto faltered. "Your mother defended you."

--Flashback--

Honey, don't say that! You do know that Sasuke is along the same growth rate as the rest of our clan, right?" Narrowing her eyes, she fixed her husband with the trademark Uchiha glare.

Sasuke's father matched her look easily. "You're right. And it's because they all have become weak and lazy in this time of peace. Itachi is a symbol of what our clan _should_ be like; what it _used_ to be like. Sasuke is…he is nothing."

--End Flashback--

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke's eyes appeared dull, as if he wasn't completely there at the moment. "I tried most of my life to keep up with Itachi. Eventually, I thought he would train me and help me become like him," he lowered his head "if I pleased him."

Naruto continued to stare at the boy, not saying anything, lest Sasuke shut himself off again. "It's not like I knew what else to do. I wouldn't have known any of that if I hadn't been following Itachi and Shisui one day. But when I saw how those kinds of things seem to make him closer to my cousin, I hoped that was something that would work." He mumbled softly. "I guess it didn't help much at all."

Naruto decided to change the topic, but not completely absolve Sasuke. "Well, no wonder you don't cater to the girls that fawn over you. It must be a bit disconcerting though, to know that people only like you for your name…you know, from the family that would rather deny you than admit they had a weak son. I have heard the older girls say though, that you look like a young Itachi."

Naruto saw his rival tense at that.

"And while we're at it. I don't think you're that special at all; to be trained by Kakashi. In fact, I'm pretty sure he only trained you not because you're the best, but because you both have the sharingan and you needed more training with yours. You know, because you're the _runt_ of the Uchiha bunch."

Sasuke threw a punch at Naruto, who effortlessly caught it inches from his face. "I'd like to see you do any better!" Sasuke roared.

Naruto laughed unabashedly at Sasuke and looked the boy in his eyes. "Oh, but Sasuke…" He closed his eyes and opened them slowly, to reveal complete sharingan in both eyes, with all three tomoe intact. "I already have."

The Uchiha quickly looked away, not wanting to see how quickly and easily Naruto had managed to upgrade his own bloodline trait.

Considering it more though, he looked back up at Naruto. "You've shown that twice. The first time was when you woke up from that nightmare. If you had it then, why was it not activated in your fight with Itachi?"

Naruto looked at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"If I remember correctly, the sharingan self-activates during times of extreme stress, right?" Sasuke nodded. "Or when one feels threatened. Which is what I was feeling in my dream. Believe me when I say I was as surprised as you, when I woke up to sharingan eyes."

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest. "And now?"

Naruto smirked. "I've been practicing. Scared the shit out of Sakura too."

Sasuke laughed at this thought. "I can imagine. She probably thought it meant you were going to attack her."

Naruto laughed at this point, as well. "No, she thought it meant I was horny."

Sasuke's mouth shut quickly. "Apparently, it really is brains or brawn."

"Hn."

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In the morning, they both got dressed quietly. Sasuke had to bite the bullet, as far as food for breakfast and eat ramen with Naruto.

_I should have continued grocery shopping, instead of looking for this moron._

"Yo!"

Sasuke choked on a noodle, before he began to swallow and glared. "What the hell? Don't you know how to knock?"

Kakashi did his infamous eye-smile and wagged his finger. "Ah, ah, Naruto. It's not your house." He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And why are you here so early in the morning?"

Naruto answered in a prefect imitation of Sasuke's monotone voice. "He came last night to have sex with me. He's only here this morning, because I refused."

"Is that so? So you didn't do anything at all?" Kakashi seemed disbelieving.

"Why would I do anything with this bastard?!" Sasuke yelled, trying to keep in character.

"Uh huh. So this," he pulled a picture out of his pocket and showed it to his students "didn't happen?"

The picture was from their "adventure" last night. How Kakashi took it was beyond them. But they only hoped the pervert didn't have copies.

Kakashi waited for Sasuke's response. Naruto realized that meant him.

"What do you want?"

"Your brother requests your presence."

Naruto frowned. "Tell him to go to hell."

"No can do. He says he won't talk to anyone but you about why he slaughtered the clan."

"Tell Ibiki—"

"Who is on a mission and won't be back." Kakashi stated pleasantly.

"Why should I?"

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "You don't want to know if he has a real reason?"

Naruto heard Sasuke exclaim. "I want to go with him!"

Kakashi frowned, turning to his blonde student. "Naruto this is more of an Uchiha matter and—"

"I want him with me." Naruto folded his arms over his chest in what he hoped was a defiant Uchiha gesture. "No questions asked, or I don't come."

Kakashi sighed. "Fine, let's go."

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Minutes later, they arrived at an underground prison facility. Tsunade was waiting for them at the door. She looked more frazzled than Naruto had ever seen her and he could swear he heard her mutter something about needing sake. She began to speak in a short, curt tone.

"There are wire taps in the room. So while we can't _see_ anything—which is good in this case, I suppose—we will be able to hear if he makes a confession. Which is what I'm hoping you'll be able to pry from him, Uchiha."

Naruto managed to keep a look of indifference on his face.

"We'd wait for Ibiki, but the council is stubborn and if there's any chance that they could get their best Uchiha back soon, they want to take it as soon as possible."

Naruto saw Sasuke flinch. Maybe that was another reason he wanted Itachi dead. So he could stop living in his shadow and claim the title of the "best Uchiha" for himself. Of course, that wasn't too hard to do if you were the only Uchiha living.

"You're saying they'd actually consider letting him back into the village scott-free? Despite him joining the Akatsuki and slaughtering his entire clan?" Sasuke looked at her, incredulously.

"Well, unfortunately, until he confesses, there isn't 100 proof that he might have left. They're under the impression that someone had intended to kill of the entire Uchiha clan and he knew about it ahead of time, so he left before the massacre occurred. Severely depressed at the thought of all his clan being wiped out, he joined Akatsuki to seek revenge. And this is where we are now. So says the council." Even Tsunade looked like she didn't believe a word she was saying.

Naruto walked past them, into the row of enclosed cells. He paused for a second, until he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Sasuke standing behind him.

"Let's go. I'm ready."

Naruto nodded, but asked. "Do you think he'll be able to tell?" He began biting his nail in worry.

Sasuke snorted. "If you keep doing things like that, he will." Naruto immediately dropped his hand. "Don't worry, just act snobbish and conceited, like you say I do." The youngest Uchiha forced a grin.

"Hn."

The ANBU on duty let them in—even though he argued about Naruto's presence—and closed the door quickly behind them.

Inside the cell, there was a futon, sink, and toilet; the bare necessities. On the futon sat Itachi, arms handcuffed behind his back and hands separated by a metal bar. He grinned cheekily.

"Hello, little brother. How have you been?"

Naruto observed Itachi for a moment. He put his hands in his pockets and spoke. "My time is precious, so let's not vacillate. Why did you come here?"

"Well, it's not as if I expected to be caught. But, that aside, I'm bored. You're useful and you never cease to entertain me."

Sasuke stiffened behind Naruto. He mentally willed Naruto to remember that they were being recorded. He didn't really want everyone to know about the things he and his brother had done when he was young and naïve.

"Well, you've outlived your usefulness, as far as I'm concerned. But I do have one question." He kneeled down in front of Itachi, so that they were face to face. "When you killed our clan, why did you leave me alive?"

Sasuke was pretty amazed. Naruto was keeping in character brilliantly. He was also relieved that Naruto had managed to smoothly veer away from the former conversation. However, it remained to be seen if Itachi was going to deny even killing them and take the idea that the council had already made up.

"Because they were planning on overthrowing the Hokage and taking control of Konoha."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. Could his brother not think of a better lie? Surely he couldn't imagine anyone would believe that sort of garbage? Not only was he slandering his own clan's name, but making a fool of himself in the process; both things Uchiha did not do.

"You lie." Naruto hissed.

"Why would I?"

"If that's so, why did you leave me alive?"

Itachi stood up, so he towered above the body of his brother. "You're truly amusing, little brother. You didn't use the sharingan, when you fought with me the other day, but now it's fully activated." Sasuke felt as if there was some hidden meaning in this statement, but his thoughts were too jumbled at the time to figure it out. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't falter.

"Answer the question." He heard his voice ground out.

Itachi sighed. "Fine. If that is what you truly wish. Father decided you were useless."

Sasuke gasped out loud. _What? No, it's not possible. Father didn't hate me that much, did he?_

"There is a forbidden jutsu that can actually remove the sharingan from one's eyes. The results vary depending on the person. It can turn out fine, but alternatively it can lead to blindness or even death. As the head of the clan, father had decided to remove your sharingan, dismiss you from the clan and claim me as his only heir."

Sasuke couldn't control his tongue. "Bullshit! I—ah, Sasuke was on par with the rest of the Uchiha clan! Just because you excelled at a quicker pace didn't mean that your younger brother was weaker."

Naruto glared at Sasuke, hoping he would stay quiet. Although, in theory, he probably wouldn't have either.

"I didn't say I thought Sasuke was retarded or anything of the sort. It's obvious that he is weaker than me, but I can't condone father's way of thinking. I never did. He believed we should be advancing quicker. That every Uchiha should be at my pace and that Sasuke was too slow to carry the Uchiha name. The clan was becoming corrupt. Better to snuff out a flame now, than have it become a wild fire later."

Naruto stiffened. Why were all the clans so strict on certain things, yet lax on others? Why so many rules and such a hierarchy? He shook his head to clear it.

"Fine. Under that assumption, why did you join Akatsuki?"

Itachi stared at them both for a moment and sighed heavily. "What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room, alright? Despite that we are the only two left, we Uchiha do have an image to maintain."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever."

Naruto took his hands out of his pockets and stood up. "Hn."

"After I left the village, I wondered from town to town aimlessly. I couldn't focus on anything. All I could think of was how I had to kill my entire clan, in order to save my village. When Kisame found me, I was on the verge of suicide."

Sasuke snorted in disbelief. Itachi ignored it and continued.

"In my haste to form another bond, I attached myself to him, which of course meant joining Akatsuki. Feeling as if I could never return to Konoha anyway, I joined with no regrets. Of course, I feel repulsed by the idea that I could stoop so low as to become a member of a renegade group of missing nin like Akatsuki but…well it doesn't much matter now does it?"

Sasuke stepped forward. "Yeah, yeah. Now explain to me why you didn't kill…Sasuke."

"Because, he's my little brother. He did nothing wrong and yet he was treated as the black sheep of the family." Sasuke grit his teeth together. "I always felt sorry for how father treated him. But if I ever showed him any more kindness than was necessary, he would have been harsher on Sasuke out of pure spite. I even heard father telling people he only had one son, at times."

Sasuke turned around quickly and yanked the cell door open.

Itachi shrugged. "Well, he didn't need to be here anyway." He looked back at his brother. "He seems to always be quite sensitive. Is he your lover?"

Naruto looked down at the floor. Thinking upon what Sasuke said, he spoke. "No, I don't have time for things like that."

"He can still have a life, you know. There's no need for Sasuke to become like his older brother. It's clear after all, that he loves you, Naruto."

At the sound of his own name, Naruto's head snapped up. "How did you know?"

"You're using too much chakra for sharingan and the abundance of emotion in your eyes gives it away. Sasuke seems to have mastered keeping his eyes dark and blank."

"Then everything you said?"

"Was true."

"You're kidding!"

"I didn't plan on coming back, Naruto. I didn't want him to know the truth about our clan. Or about what father thought of him."

"What about you and him?"

Itachi took a second to contemplate the meaning behind these words.

"I love my brother. Perhaps too much."

Naruto turned to leave. "Obviously."

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After checking in with Tsunade, Naruto headed back to the Uchiha manor. He found Sasuke in his family's records room, looking at photo albums. He didn't even bother looking up, when Naruto entered the room.

"I'd feel better if he was lying. But when I think on it, I realize he could very well be telling the truth…about the clan at least."

Naruto looked over his shoulder and saw that Sasuke was flipping through the photo album quite quickly. He counted 10 pages full of the family with Itachi and then one page with a picture of Sasuke at birth. But as Itachi grew more and more, there was less and less of his younger brother Sasuke in the picture, until one day there weren't any of him at all.

"Sasuke—"

"I don't want to talk about it. So just forget it, moron."

And suddenly, Naruto was looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke in his own body.

And when he blinked in surprise, he noticed there were tears falling from the eyes that his friend had once been behind. He had never seen Sasuke cry before and even now; he wondered if this counted.

Sasuke sighed loudly in relief and murmured. "Back to my own body…for all that's worth." He looked up at Naruto.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why?"

"I called you useless and said you were nothing, when words like those really applied to me."

"That's not true."

Sasuke laughed cynically. The kind of laugh one would make if they'd heard something they found impossible to believe.

"You heard my brother. I'm a disgrace to the clan! I'm not fit to even use the sharingan. No one wanted me around."

Naruto exhaled softly and sat down. "Now you know how it feels. But hey! At least we got our bodies back, right?"

"I probably would have been better off as you."

"Don't say that! I wouldn't want my most hated enemy to live my life, let alone the person that I love." Naruto wrapped his arms around the Uchiha boy.

"Go home, Naruto. I'm going to bed."

He pulled himself out of Naruto's embrace.

"Sasuke, are you sure you don't want me to stay here?"

"And do what? I said go home and I meant it. Unlike _you_, I don't need anyone else. Like you said I've always been alone. And I always will be. That's been made quite clear to me now."

"But I won't let you—"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the arm and began hauling him to the door. "You know what? I don't care what you think." He opened the door and pushed Naruto through it.

"If you hadn't subdued Itachi, I wouldn't have found all this out! I'd rather be oblivious than know I'm better off dead!"

Naruto stumbled out of the door and quickly turned around. "Sasuke, I didn't mean to!"

"Shut up! Get the hell out of my sight! Don't _ever_ talk to me again! I never want to see you, ever again. Got it? If you come around me again, I'll kill you!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto pleaded. "Please don't do this! I'm sorry! Do you want me to break Itachi out? Kill him? I will, if you want! If he's gone, the council won't release the logs of what he said and no one will ever know. Please don't shut me out of your life. _I'll do anything you say. I swear!_"

"No. It's too late, dumbass. I hate you! I hate you with every fiber of my entire being!" He slammed the door in Naruto's face loudly.

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Sasuke spent all night searching for proof to deny what Itachi had said. Unfortunately, all he found was more and more evidence to prove that what he was saying about the Uchiha clan was, indeed, true.

By the time the sun rose, he had passed out with his head on the desk containing a numerous amount of scrolls.

For the next four days, he sat there thinking about whether he wanted to turn the evidence in or not.

On one hand, he loved his brother. He always would, even if it was only a small part of him that continued to do so. But knowing what he did now, he realized that while Itachi hadn't been in the right to kill his own clan, he hadn't completely been wrong. He knew that it would be the council's decision to decide if Itachi's punishment was warranted.

His grudge had been purely about his clan. He didn't bare any ill will towards Itachi for the incestuous relationship they had engaged when he was younger. He knew of course, that it was wrong, but at the time it had felt right to him. It was in the darkest hours of the night that he had finally felt wanted and loved. It was his deepest connection he had to any living soul and he had never really wanted to sever it.

His brother already knew that he loved him. It had been in the undertones of his, "You don't have enough hate for me.", speech that he always gave Sasuke whenever they did manage to cross paths.

Would it be so hard to accept Itachi back into his life? If he had the only family member that cared for him, he wouldn't have to worry about the love of another. Hell, he didn't even care if he received love from Itachi. As long as he had someone to give his love to, it would be fine for him. He didn't need Naruto or anyone of those other people that claimed they were his friends. He just needed his brother to take care of him and guide him. His brother was old enough that as soon as the village accepted him back, he would be able to produce an heir to the Uchiha clan and reform it to the way it was supposed to be.

But if he let his brother re-enter his life, all the goals he had ever set for himself in life would disappear…

0000000000000000

Naruto stirred his chopsticks around in the ramen he was supposed to be devouring by now. He had just came back from a five-week mission with Kiba and Shikamaru. They had all gone to celebrate at Naruto's favorite ramen spot, but he didn't really feel up to it. He had pasted his mask back on efficiently, but the blonde didn't know how much longer it could last. Naruto had stayed in his apartment for an entire week, until Tsunade had dragged him out of it and sent him on a mission to "clear his head". He wouldn't tell her what was wrong and that worried the Hokage. But he had promised Sasuke he wouldn't say anything. The teen had also promised himself that he wouldn't ever bother the Uchiha again, because if that was Sasuke's wish, he would do everything in his power to grant it.

"Naruto!"

"Hm." He looked up from his bowl to see Sakura running towards him. When she reached him, she had stop and catch her breath for a moment.

"Itachi's been released!"

The reaction was instantaneous. A moment of silence, followed by everyone talking at once. Sakura shushed them all with a threatening fist.

"The council has been deliberating on the issue for three weeks and they've decided that although Itachi could have handled the problem of the Uchiha clan better, what's done is done and he eliminated the entire threat. And since he promised that he and Sasuke would work themselves to rebuild the clan and it's honor, they're releasing him. He'll be under ANBU watch for a year, but after that it'll be a year's probation period and then he'll be granted his ninja status back again."

Shikamaru made a startled noise and then asked. "How could they substantiate the claims that Itachi made. They would have to have proof that what he said was true."

Sakura nodded briskly. "Yeah, Sasuke apparently found dozens of scrolls in the family office that dictated how and why the Uchiha clan planned the coupe. He turned them in about two weeks after Itachi was imprisoned."

"Ah." Shikamaru nodded and then turned back to his food, with a mutter of "how troublesome".

Satisfied that she had explained everything they needed to know, she turned to Naruto with a bright smile on her face. "Isn't that great, Naruto? Sasuke can have his brother back again! He won't have to worry about hunting him down. They don't have to fight anymore and he won't be alone!"

Naruto winced at this. Why did Sasuke have to accept a murderer in his place? Why could he not just accept the love Naruto had offered him? It was obvious that Itachi had replaced the spot in his heart Naruto held, even if it was only held for a close friend. He no longer needed Naruto as a precious person. And Naruto would be left all alone again.

Sakura continued babbling, Naruto's pale face going unnoticed in her excitement. "And now that Sasuke doesn't have to focus on that goal, he can settle down and help his brother revive the clan with me! No one else will do!"

Without a parting word, Naruto dashed over to the Uchiha manor. At the front gate, he was met by Itachi.

"You already know what I'm going to say, Uzumaki."

Naruto looked hurt. "But I really want to talk to him. Even if it's just for a minute."

Itachi sighed sadly. "I'm very sorry, but he is adamant about not speaking with you. I've talked to him about it and I know he's acting unreasonable, but at the same time, I can understand his point of view. Honestly, I expected him to take his anger out on me, not you and for that I'm sorry. I will try to talk to him about this situation more when he calms down."

The blonde boy was at a loss for words. "Um…thanks, I guess."

Naruto wasn't sure how to deal with this new Itachi. He had never met him before the Uchiha massacre, so he didn't know if he was like this normally, or if it was all an act. Naruto trudged home in defeat and scrubbed his eyes harshly, trying to prevent the tears he felt rising to the surface. After a few steps, he turned around to face Itachi again.

"Hey, Itachi."

"Yes?"

"Take care of him for me."

Itachi looked at Naruto in confusion. "You say that as if you'll never see him again."

Naruto turned around and continued his walk home. "Knowing Sasuke, I won't."

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That phrase hadn't been quite accurate. In the coming weeks, Sasuke and Itachi had ventured into town every so often and it was obvious the two were inseparable. He had seen them in the streets of Konoha, throngs of girls following them. When Sasuke was rude to one, Itachi would chide his younger brother about manners and apologize to the slighted girl. This apology was usually in the form a kiss to the hand that sent the girl directly to la-la land. He'd even seen them training together on occasion.

The villagers were slowly warming up to Itachi. It was still a bit disconcerting that one man could kill his entire clan without showing any outward remorse. But when they remembered he had done so for the good of the village they puffed their chests out proudly to know their precious clan was going to be revived properly soon.

Sasuke, himself, couldn't be more ecstatic. Of course, he didn't show that outwardly, but he was happy to have his older brother back. The older brother he remembered before his father had gotten to him and drilled into Itachi's head that he should not bother with Sasuke.

How much better could it get?

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Naruto's things to do in the next chapter:

1) Have a long talk with Itachi

2) Get forced to have a long talk with Tsunade

3) Break into the Uchiha manor and wish he hadn't


	6. Your Tenacity

Disclaimer: If Naruto belonged to me…it would be a yaoi.

Warnings: Yaoi. Implied incest...ok, I lied. Incest, flat out.

Author's Notes: Since my internet is temporarily shut off because time warner sucks ass, I am editing and posting this from work...you have been warned! It's as edited as I could make it inbetween taking calls from people who's service isn't working. Let me know if you see any GLARING errors (not minor typos) and I will fix them. See what happens when none of you offer yourselves up as the sacrificial beta? Mwahaha!

Typical Explanations:

_Italics_ mean thought

**Bold Italics** mean Kyuubi thought.

P.S. - Since I'm updating at work, I can't respond to reviews...I sowwy. But i did read them and I want to thank everyone for reviewing! Thank you very, very much! Reviews are like...getting free yaoi to me! I swear, they are. They're awesome ;; So everyone please review this chapter and let me know what you thought.

* * *

Story: I Love…

Chapter 6: Your Tenacity

Sasuke Uchiha was pissed. He knew it was his duty to help his brother revive their clan. That much had been made clear to him. He knew that most of the girls who incessantly proclaimed their love for him, would give their bodies whole-heartedly to this cause. But since he didn't care one way or the other, he had been letting his brother choose his suitors.

The blonde haired, blue-eyed girl sitting next to him had to be mildly retarded though. She had babbled on constantly throughout dinner, flipping her hair over her shoulder, which Sasuke realized wasn't even natural in color and batting her mascara clumped eyelashes at him. It was sickening. He pulled his brother to the side.

"Brother, what are you thinking? This girl is by far the worst! She's not even worthy of taking the Uchiha name by marriage!" Sasuke looked exasperated at the situation. He put his hands on his hips and stared Itachi down. His brother smirked at him.

"Yes, but doesn't she remind you of someone?" Sasuke paused in his rant, to think about this. Dense blue-eyed, blonde? Sasuke frowned when the realization hit him.

"Itachi, we've been through this many times before. I don't want to see Naruto!"

"Sasuke, it's been six months. I was sure by now you had thought about this enough to realize the lack of maturity in your actions. Considering the way in which our clan's transgressions were told to you, I would think you'd hate_ me_ the most. But instead you took all your anger out on poor Naruto, who did nothing more than try to find the truth out for you. I do not know Naruto that well, but I'm under the impression that--having no family--Naruto holds on tight to those few friends he has."

"I know that." Sasuke snapped. "But you might as well give up. My feelings will not change." He crossed his arms over his chest in a gesture of defiance. Itachi knew the conversation was as good as over.

"It's more like your feelings _have _changed, little brother." The elder Uchiha stated with a smirk. Sasuke stiffened and looked ready to rebuff his brother's words immediately. Obviously, Itachi had intended to indicate subtly that he had cared at one point and he wasn't going to let that slide. It wasn't caring so much that bothered him, as much as the fact that Itachi had insinuated slyly that the caring was more than that of a friend.

_Maybe I'm over thinking that statement. Maybe Itachi really just wanted me to have a best friend like Naruto...to create bonds that I couldn't have when I was completely devoted to revenge._

"If you hate him so much now, you must have liked him quite a bit before." Sasuke could swear he heard amusement in his brother's voice.

_Scratch that. I knew it. Asshole._

Sasuke glared heatedly at Itachi. If only the famed Uchiha stare would work against its own kind.

"I can assure you, if I ever cared for him, it was as a teammate. Nothing else."

"So you'd give something as precious as your body...and I'm guessing your virginity, to a teammate?" Itachi broke another code of Uchiha conduct and smiled. "My my, little brother, I didn't know you were so self-sacrificing."

Sasuke spoke before thinking. "How do you know about that?"

The elder Uchiha grinned at him. "Well besidse you just confirming it for me...I was asking Kakashi about Naruto and you. It appears, the night before you came to visit me, you two did some...interesting things."

"Fine. Look. Naruto admitted that he had feelings for me...feelings that went beyond friendship. But I told him I didn't have time for that." Sasuke sighed. He had been trying to forget. "That night, after I found out how rough his life had been, I felt sorry for him. And anyway, he had spent all day dating numerous girls in my body!" The young man seethed. "After I found him with his tongue down Sakura's throat, it wasn't too hard to tell he wanted a good fuck. I didn't want him getting herpes in my body."

Itachi frowned. "Alright, for one, I don't think Naruto would want to have sex with you, just because you felt sorry for him. And two, why do you deny your feelings so much? I realize that father and I are mostly to blame, but I am trying to make amends. Naruto is good for you, even as no more than a friend. I'm sure he cares for you enough to remain just a friend, if that's what you want."

"Sasuke! Itachi!" The blonde girl called their names and then pouted. "Are you guys gonna come back soon! I'm lonely!"

"Just a minute, Mayuka." Sasuke called. The girl huffed in annoyance, but said nothing more.

"Itachi." He turned back to the former missing-nin. "You're my brother and I love you. But I love no one else and it will most likely stay that way..." He paused, carefully thinking over his next words as he said them. "...whether that's your fault or not." Without waiting for a reply, Sasuke strolled back to their table and joined his current date.

He didn't need to glance at his older brother to see the look of shock on his face. He knew what Itachi was thinking. It was the same question Sasuke had asked himself before. When every time he faced his brother as a missing-nin, why could he not find it in himself to fight with all that he had? Why did he turn so emotional and mess up everything? There was an obvious answer, which the two young men didn't want to think about. Some paths--Itachi was sure--were better left untraveled.

---------------

6 months later

_Ok, Uzumaki. One last time. I'm going to try and talk to Sasuke once and only once and if he wants nothing to do with me, well that's just fine. His loss._

Naruto was giving himself a big pep talk as he headed towards the Uchiha district. Truthfully, though, he wished there was an emergency mission that the Hokage had to have only him on, so he could use that as excuse. Of course, he'd been using excuses for 6 months now and it hadn't seemed to work.

Over the course of the previous six months he had seen Sasuke off and on, when he was out with Itachi. The older Uchiha brother always gave him looks filled with empathy and the like...well he had until about a month ago. After that, he had started averting the rambunctious boy's eyes and Naruto couldn't figure out why. Had he done something wrong? Had Sasuke told Itachi of his feelings for his younger brother and now Itachi refused to be bothered with him? Naruto was confused and he wasn't sure what to do about it besides confront one or both of the Uchiha prodigies. He was sure that Itachi was avoiding his gaze because of disgust. But for the life of him, he wasn't sure what he had done to the Uchiha to warrant such a reaction.

* * *

If Naruto knew what happened inside the walls of the manor that housed Itachi and Sasuke, he might realize that he was partly right about Itachi avoided his looks because of disgust. It wasn't disgust he had for Naruto, however, but for himself. 

A little over a month ago, his brother had stormed in his bedroom in the middle of the night, sharingan blazing, to yell at him.

"I hate you!" Sasuke roared, halting at the foot of Itachi's bed and glowering.

Itachi sighed. "And what, little brother, is it this time?" This was nothing new, over the course of the year he had been back in Konoha, Sasuke had come to him dozens of times and declared his hatred for his brother. It could have been something as simple as a girl he dated, or the way training had gone that day. It never really mattered. Sometimes, Itachi wondered if he had been gifted with a younger _sister_, rather than a brother.

"Because it's your fault I can't love Naruto!"

Anyone who didn't know Itachi would have seen no noticeable change in his demeanor, but Sasuke could see his eyes widen a bit at the accusation.

Determined not to let his brother's words annoy him, Itachi calmly responded. "And why is that?"

Sasuke scrunched his eyes shut, as if he didn't want to see Itachi's reaction. "Because I love you too much!" He yelled in an agitated fashion.

Itachi curbed the urge to roll his eyes at his brother's childish demeanor and spoke evenly.

"Sasuke, as brothers, we have a different level of love than you would for a significant other, or even a friend. There is no possible _way_ that your heart is filled with only love for me. There is plenty of room for someone else and Naruto--!"

"No there's not!" Sasuke opened his eyes and plopped on the carpet of Itachi's room with a glare. "I wouldn't be saying it, if I hadn't thought this through. I can't help the way I think about you and I know it's wrong, but then again, nothing about us has ever been normal."

Itachi eyed his brother warily. "What are you alluding to, Sasuke?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and looked curiously at his brother. "You really want me to just come out and say it?"

"Yes. You might as well be blunt about it, so you don't waste both of our times. The quicker we get this out in the open, the faster we can deal with it." Although Itachi knew it wasn't good, nothing prepared him for the words that tumbled out of his little brother's mouth.

"I have wet dreams about you."

Itachi paled. "Ok, when I said blunt, maybe I was a bit hasty. But you are a teenager and considering how your life has been, I can see how you would get confused." He couldn't finish this train of thought as Sasuke continued with a scoff.

"Please. I know the difference between a passing phase and something that won't go away so easily."

"Oh?" Itachi wondered if such a statement was really true.

His younger copy grinned viciously. "Why, yes. There was a time when I lusted over Neji."

Itachi blinked, completely astounded. "The Hyuuga?"

When he thought about it, it made sense. Itachi already knew where his brother's preferences lie and the Hyuuga was almost a perfect choice, from an Uchiha's point of view. Their abilities were well known and strong, only surpassed by the Uchiha's sharingan...and even then, there were some aspects of the byakugan that trumped it. As an Uchiha, Sasuke would be drawn quite resolutely to such strength and power. It seemed as if it was encoded in their clan's DNA.

"Yes and after I used the sharingan to play with him a bit, I realized he wasn't what I wanted." He quickly continued before Itachi could cut him off. "Before you think it; it went no further than groping. I'm not about to give a plaything something so precious."

Itachi's mouth closed. "Ah."

Sasuke's glare turned into a full-blown frown as he approached Itachi's bed and crawled closer to him. "So, brother..." he paused to sit on Itachi's chest and pin him to the bed. "I do know what I want." He tilted his head to the side and smirked cynically. "And you're going to give it to me."

Itachi ignored the smug look he was receiving. Determined to keep his cool and not reveal any more than necessary, he pushed his brother off his chest and sat up on his elbows. Although this gave him a better vantage point, it also ended up pushing Sasuke down far enough to where he ended up sitting in his older brother's lap. "And just what makes you believe that?"

Itachi regretted sitting up immediately, because what he thought was his vantage point had immediately turned into a disadvantage. Sasuke leaned closer to his brother and wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck, placing them cheek to cheek. "You said my teenage hormones were running rampant...but you weren't so innocent yourself when you were a teenager. You remember, don't you?"

Itachi stiffened in his brother's grip. "I don't remember anything that alludes to the current situation we're _in_...no." He answered cautiously.

Sasuke chuckled and breathed softly in Itachi's ear. "That's alright. Allow me to refresh your memory, big brother." Sasuke pulled Itachi's arms around his waist and leaned back smiling. He pulled his Konoha headband off and tilted his head to the side. The lack of headband and bright smile Sasuke had adopted made him look child-like. When Sasuke next spoke, Itachi realized that was exactly the effect he was going for.

"Big brother" he intoned with a high pitch voice. "Why won't you practice with me?" He wiggled on Itachi's lap in a show of impatience.

For his part, Itachi gave him a confused look and raised an eyebrow. His younger brother smiled. "Don't remember this?"

The elder Uchiha shrugged. "Not in particular."

"Ah, but I do." Sasuke smirked. "I was so hyper as a kid. I always kept..." he grinned evilly "bouncing around."

Itachi's eyes began to form small slits as he realized where the conversation was headed. How would Sasuke even remember something like that?

--------Flashback--------

The prodigy Uchiha stared at his little brother, from his spot seated at the table and sighed. "Sasuke, as an ANBU captain, I'm very busy." He sipped his tea quietly and then placed the mug back on the table. Sasuke saw his opening and jumped down in his brother's lap, facing him. He pouted cutely.

"Please! You're done with work for today, right?" Sasuke wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and bounced up and down excitedly. "Pretty please! I'll clean your room for a week, if you do."

Itachi gripped his brother's hips and groaned. "Sas-Sasuke, stop bouncing in my lap. An Uchiha..." He panted softly. "should not be so hyper." He tried to move Sasuke away, but his brother plopped in his lap again.

"I know, I know, Itachi, but..." Sasuke paused and wiggled around on his brother's lap, with a curious look on his face. "Brother, do you have something in your pocket..something's poking me and--"

Itachi quickly pushed the boy off his lap. "No! I don't have time to practice, Sasuke. Now go do something productive!" He quickly got up from the floor and began to walk away, only to have Sasuke tackle him. They landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor and Itachi let out a sharp gasp of air as he hit the floor, with his brother on top of him. For his part, the little boy crawled up on Itachi, sitting up in his lap. When he saw the sharingan swirling in his brother's eyes he began to shake a little. Whenever he saw such a look directed at him from his father, he knew he was in trouble. He assumed it would be the same with his older brother.

"Brother I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you fall! Please don't be mad! I love you!" He hugged Itachi's neck tightly.

Itachi sighed and hugged his brother back. "I love you too, Sasuke..." He replied. "maybe too much."

"Hm?" Sasuke looked up.

Itachi frowned and shook his head. "Nothing."

-----------end Flashback-----------

"What's your point, Sasuke?" Itachi growled. "So I got hard when you were on my lap, big deal. You're right. I was a horny teenager."

"But you told me you loved me." Sasuke stated.

"And?" Itachi questioned.

"I've never heard you say that to mother or father."

"Perhaps I didn't love them?"

"Ah, so the love you have for me, is the kind I have for you, right?" Sasuke smiled toothily at his brother.

"What?" Itachi blinked.

"I love you brother..." Sasuke leaned down and grazed his lips against Itachi's "with all my heart."

Itachi grimaced. "Sasuke, stop this."

Sasuke lay down atop his brother's prone form completely. "You ruined my life and I only want one thing as penance. I know you're not that adverse to it. You've proved as much various times, when we were younger. Why won't you just admit it?"

Itachi glared at the top of Sasuke's head and replied. "For the same reason you won't admit you love Naruto."

"Which would be?" Sasuke looked up to gaze into his brother's eyes, when a minute went by without an answer. His mouth turned downward and he sighed loudly. "Look, if you don't want to admit you love me as more than a brother should, that's fine. I can wait. But I know you do." Itachi suddenly spoke up in answer to Sasuke's question.

"The reason you won't admit your love for Naruto...is because you're scared. You're afraid of rejection, Sasuke. It's an Uchiha trait. Although we're a proud clan, if there's any chance of a negative outcome--when it comes to relationships--we won't bother."

Sasuke blinked, not expecting the answer he was given and curiosity got the better of him, despite the current situation. "Why is that?"

"Well, think about it. If one were to confess their love to a girl and she rejected him, it would be a blow to their pride and we all known Uchiha's have a huge amount of that sin." Itachi let a smile play out over his lips. "So for an Uchiha, rather than risk rejection, he will choose from any of the dozens of girls clamoring for his attention and mold her to his desire; much easier."

Sasuke blinked, but refused to be side-tracked. "That's all well and good, but you already know that I won't reject you."

Itachi grimaced. "Sasuke, please. I don't want to make things any more complicated than they already are."

"Too late." Sasuke murmured quickly before he grabbed the back of his brother's head and pulled them close. He filled the rest of the gap himself and placed his lips on Itachi's. He expected the resistance he received, but easily found a way around the squirming of his former role model, as he drew his tongue languidly over his brother's bottom lip. The gasp of shock Itachi made allowed him to explore his mouth thoroughly and enjoy how he immediately relented in his struggles. After a few minutes, Sasuke broke the kiss to nip at the elder's neck and place soft kisses around his collarbone.

The groan Itachi had been trying to suppress bubbled deeply from his throat. "Sasuke, I..."

"Hm?" Sasuke paused for a moment and placed his chin on his brother's chest to gauge his reaction. "Ready to admit it?"

The original Uchiha prodigy growled at his younger self and in a matter of moments, they were both divested of their clothes. The eldest brother was now on top of Sasuke, smirking at the delicious sight of his brother's flushed face. In fact, upon closer inspection, he noticed the flush even went down his neck a bit. Ah, the curses of the pale Uchiha skin.

On a whim, he leaned down to place his lips against the joining of Sasuke's neck and shoulder and bit...hard. The scream that Sasuke uttered at such harsh treatment was heavily laced with pleasure and he began panting after Itachi withdrew his teeth from soft skin and started lapping at the bruised spot with his tongue.

"My, my, little brother. I never really guessed you were into rough treatment." Itachi purred, sitting up and rested his weight on his legs so that he was only inches away from skin to skin contact.

Sasuke glared up at Itachi. "Yes, you did or you wouldn't have done that." Itachi let a small smile grace his lips. Sasuke's eyes were glazed with lust and desire and he was writhing impatiently under his brother. "Itachi…" he moaned.

At the alluring way his name fell from Sasuke's lips, Itachi leaned down and licked at his playmate's lips, waiting for entrance. It was immediately given and as soon as Sasuke had parted his lips he was granted with Itachi's tongue mapping out the new territory. He wasted no time in exploring further down the boys neck and nipping at the skin ever so slightly.

Sasuke couldn't hold back the yelp of pleasure, when he felt Itachi tug his boxers down and grasp tightly at his length. He hissed and arched into the touch in wonton abandon.

Slowly, at first, Itachi slid his hand up and down his younger brother's length, relishing the sounds he was drawing from the usually stoic teen.

"Itachi…" Sasuke ground out, "stop teasing me."

"Hn." Itachi's lipped quirked in what could have been perceived as a smile and he quickened his pace, leaning down to lick the outer shell of the smaller boy's ear.

In a matter of minutes, Sasuke began squirming underneath him and moaning loudly, trying his best to speak clearly, despite the great distraction. "Brother, I…I don't want to come this way, I want to-" Itachi had managed to lick at a spot right inside his ear that sent him into oblivion, coming in thick streams against his pale stomach. "-fuck!" He cried out loudly, as he came.

Itachi chuckled and wiped his hand on the bed sheet. "Sorry, little brother, but your virginity belongs to another."

Sasuke managed to glare at his brother--albeit not a very harsh glare--and tried to ask who the elder was speaking about, but he gave into sleep before he could.

Itachi sighed and covered his brother's naked form up with the blanket. "It's bad enough we did something like this. But I won't make the mistake of taking something as precious as your virginity, when it isn't meant for one like me. You'll need light to guide you away from the darkness."

Itachi smiled and lay down next to his brother. "Naruto will fit the part perfectly."

* * *

Itachi knew that Sasuke's infatuation with him was nothing more than loneliness. As a child, Sasuke had admired his brother extensively and now that he knew the truth about the slaughtering of his clan, he didn't have to hold such a grudge towards his brother. Which meant, he was allowed to adore him again. The fact remained though, that Sasuke was a horny teenage boy and when he wanted to engage in sexual activities, he needed someone he felt he could trust. And with the past behind them, Itachi was now that person.

So it was, that he cornered Itachi at least a dozen more times in the space of the next few months and demanded that the actions of the first night happen again. Unfortunately for Sasuke, every time he wanted more, his older brother managed to push him over the edge, making him come before they could get to more…serious activities. And each time he demanded to know who his brother deemed more important than himself to receive Sasuke's virginity.

Itachi had managed to make himself scarce most of the time he was alone with Sasuke, but the boy even had the audacity to take some enhancement pills, so the next time they did anything, he was able to remain hard after coming. To say Itachi was shocked that night, was an understatement and Sasuke wasted no time in pouncing on his flabbergasted brother and line his cock up to the boy's virgin entrance.

Sasuke bit his lip in apprehension, as he braced himself to press down on the hard length of his older brother. It was this second of hesitance that allowed Itachi to regain his bearings and toss Sasuke off the bed.

"Sasuke! What the hell!?"

I won't give up! You're _going_ to take my virginity!" Sasuke yelled, completely out of character.

Itachi hissed and yanked his sleeping pants back on. "Are you _insane_? You're acting like a crazed fan girl!"

Sasuke puffed his chest out in indignation. "Well, I wouldn't have to be this way, if you'd just take what I have to offer! It's no big deal and I want to get rid of it."

Itachi slapped his hand against his forehead. "Sasuke, I told you. Your virginity is for someone important. Someone you love with all your heart…your most precious person."

Sasuke's hands fisted at his sides as he stood to get off the floor, the feeling of rejection coming off of him in waves. "And I told _you_. You _are_ my most precious person."

Itachi had had enough. "I am not meant to be your lover! Even when I desire you, I know better than to think it's for something other than lust or infatuation! Grow up, Sasuke! It's time to put this foolishness behind us."

Sasuke looked up sharply at his brother. He was insulted at the fact that his brother didn't think he was old enough to make his own decisions and more than a little hurt. He tried to hide that emotion from his eyes, though. But one look at his brother's face told him it was too late.

Itachi knew he should have worded it differently, but his brother was such a temptation! It had taken absolutely all of his will power to never finish what they started. In talking to others who knew both Sasuke and Naruto well, it was obvious that they were meant to be together. Even if they were not, he would never submit to this illicit affair. Why tarnish the Uchiha name more, when it wasn't necessary?

His thought pattern was sharply broken, when he heard his brother let out an uncharacteristic whimper. "Do you hate me that much, brother? That you'd dangle in front of me what I could have and then snatch it away, just as quickly." He crawled over to Itachi and laid his head on the ninja's chest, wrapping his arms around the man he claimed to love with all his soul.

Itachi ran his fingers through his ebony hair, sighing. "Sasuke, you know that is not what I mean, but this isn't healthy for you. Please do what I ask. Or at least _try_." He lifted up the younger boy's chin to look him in the eyes. "For me?"

Sasuke hesitated a moment and then nodded. "Alright."

Itachi smiled softly and brushed his lips in the barest of kisses against, Sasuke's. "Thank you."

But inside his head, Sasuke was laughing whole-heartedly.

_If I make you take my virginity, you won't be able to push me away. I know you brother. If I can make you take that step away from seeing me as a little brother, to recognizing me as your lover, it'll be all downhill from there. An easy mountain to climb, because I have the perfect plan._

* * *

Naruto told himself that this time he had fully intended to make it to the Uchiha district and have it out with Sasuke. He had completely convinced himself _this_ time, he wouldn't chicken out, because Uzumaki Naruto _never_ backs down from a challenge.

So why was he at Ichiraku's slurping up ramen, then?

He decided not to think about it.

After slurping up all the noodles in his second bowl, he lifted the oversized dish to his mouth to drink the broth. When he placed it back down on the table with a sigh of happiness, he realized there was someone sitting next to him. Someone with dark hair, darker eyes and the palest of skin.

_Sasuke?_ He thought.

_**Nope.**_ Kyuubi snickered. _**Guess again.**_

"Itachi! " Naruto said aloud and pointed at the young man. "What are you doing here?"

Said man just chuckled a bit and broke apart his chopsticks to begin eating the ramen recently placed in front of him.

"I came to see how you were doing, little Naruto."

"Ah!" Naruto shook a finger at his ex-enemy. "Don't call me little! I'm almost as tall as you."

"Almost, only counts in shounen-ai, little one."

Naruto blinked, trying to understand what Itachi meant by that statement. "Huh? What's shounen-ai?"

Itachi smirked cynically. "Ah, a story for another day, perhaps. At any rate, would you like to spar with me?"

Naruto blinked and slowly nodded. He hadn't expected an offer to spar from Sasuke's brother, but he definetely wouldn't back down from the chance to release some pent up aggression.

Both men headed over to the training grounds and faced off a few yards away from each other.

"To be fair, I won't use any genjutsu or ninjutsu. This will be a taijutsu match only."

Naruto grinned widely. "Heh. Well, if that's what you want. But in that case, I want to let you know you'll lose ahead of time."

Itachi let a smirk grace his pale features and glanced to the side in thought. "Alright, if you're so sure, then let's place a bet."

The hyperactive blonde laughed. "Hell yeah! This is my kind of fight! Name your terms!"

Itachi placed a finger on his chin in thought. "Ok. If I win, I will take you to the Uchiha manor and discuss some things with you. But if you win, I will buy you all the ramen you wish for the next 2 weeks."

Naruto thought about this for a moment and then glared up at Itachi. "Wait, by taking me to your house, do you mean that I'll have to talk with Sasuke?"

Itachi shook his head in the negative. "No, not at all. If it doesn't make you too uncomfortable, we can go to my room and conversate. Is that alright?"

Naruto pulled out a kunai from his weapons pouch and smiled. "Fine, with me. Let's go."

* * *

After an hour and half of fighting, Naruto ended up in a sitting position, pinned to a tree, with a the tip of Itachi's kunai pointed straight at his throat. Panting softly, Itachi placed the kunai back in it's pouch and offered a hand to his sparring partner. Naruto took it gratefully, and lifted himself up.

"Damn, that was pretty close. I always thought the sharingan was your most powerful asset, but your taijutsu skills are nothing to laugh at." Naruto brushed some grass off of his trademark jumpsuit. "So, you swear we're not gonna run into Sasuke, right?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow and began walking toward his house, next to Naruto. "No, you will definetely not see Sasuke. He happens to be on a date with a female from the Hyuuga clan right now."

Naruto stopped and turned wide eyes toward Itachi. "Who?"

Itachi pretended he hand't heard Naruto, since he was a few steps ahead of him. "Hm?"

Naruto walked right next to the brunette and repeated himself. "Who's he on a date with, from the Hyuuga clan?"

"Ah, I think her name was Hinata?"

"Hinata!" Naruto sputtered. "Why should she have to be stuck with him? There's no way she'd want that."

"Because she likes you?"

Naruto's mouth spoke before his brain recognized the response. "Yeah, because she likes--wait, what? No! That's not what I mean! I mean...well, I know Hinata likes me, but I'm um...well..." He glared at Itachi. "I'm sure your brother has told you that I'm incredibly gay and madly in love with him...or however, he embellished to make himself look good."

Itachi smirked. "Well, yes. While it wasn't quite like that, I do know that you harbor feelings that are more than friendship towards my brother."

"Uh huh..."

"So I purposely set up this date with Hinata tonight in order to get him out of the house, so I could talk with you about it."

Naruto tilted his head to the side in shock. "Eh? Why would you do that?"

As they neared the gates of the district, Itachi made a few hands signs and the gate opened. "Hinata knows that this date is a favor to me. She doesn't expect anything out of it and is doing it more because I asked her to, than for any other reason." He opened the door to the house he and his brother shared and guided Naruto up the stairs. "I told her it was to help you and she readily agreed."

As soon as Itachi opened the door to the bedroom, Naruto spotted the dark red silk sheets and flopped down onto them. "Man, you and Sasuke sure think alike, with the silk sheets and all."

"If you say so." Itachi pulled a chair out from under his desk and straddled the chair, facing towards Naruto. "I wanted to ask you to forgive my brother. He's not how I remember him and it's taking me quite some time to get through to him. At this current point and time, he actually reminds me of our father." Itachi's eyes darkened and he frowned. It was, after all, the first time he had said the thought out loud and it saddened him to think of his brother this way. However, he had to confide in Naruto completely, in order to put the boy at ease. It wasn't that hard. The demon container normally had a soothing aura about him, despite the Kyuubi he housed. Lately, though, he noticed that the blue-eyed teen had more of a depressing feel to him, despite the dumb smile he constantly wore.

_Time to be direct._ Itachi thought.

"Naruto, I know you love my brother and I'm quite sure he loves you." Itachi paused, studying Naruto's face and waiting for a reaction. When he saw none, he realized that Naruto had given up all hope of ever being around the younger Uchiha ever again. He had to change that opinion or else this would all be fruitless. Itachi excelled at words and manipulation. He would just have to make sure Naruto understood that his brother needed him. With both of them working together, they could help Sasuke assimiilate into the life of a typical teenager; without all the angst and emo.

"Did you make me come all the way here, just to tell me that? I'd rather just leave now, if that's the case, because you're wasting your breath. Yeah, I do love Sasuke, but he made his feelings quite clear." He looked down at the floor and shuffled his feet. He needed something to do to take his mind off of the rejection he had faced a while ago. It had been long enough that he was able to stop thinking about it constantly. He surely didn't want it dredged up now.

Itachi sighed in frustration. "Naruto, please don't take Sasuke's words to heart. He told me what he said and I can guarantee you, he was just angry at what I had told him that day. He lashed out at whoever was near and you were the closest person."

"I swore to him, I would do anything he asked of me and Sasuke told me never to talk to him again and remain out of his sight." His voice was barely above a whisper as he solemnly spoke. "If Sasuke doesn't want me around, that's fine. I understand." Naruto laughed cynicaly. "I've been told all my life that no one would ever love me. But it wasn't until Sasuke rejected me that I finally knew it was true. You can thank your brother for that, for me. It's about time I stopped daydreaming."

Itachi rolled his eyes. He spent almost all day, everyday with Sasuke and by now he was fed up with the whole 'woe is me, my life sucks' angst...thing.

"Ok, Naruto." He grabbed the boy across from him by the front of his shirt and pulled the blonde up so they were face to face. "Look, you will find someone to love you. Stop being so negative. When I first saw you, you were a clumsy, annoying, little runt."

Naruto grunted at the Uchiha. "That last comment does wonders from my self esteem, Itachi. Thanks."

Itachi let a small smile slip as he dropped Naruto back onto the bed and he ruffled the boy's hair. "Let me finish, kid. " He allowed his eyes to roam over the young ninja sitting across from him. "Well let's just say, if I didn't have to revive my clan, Sasuke would have some competition for your affection."

Naruto made a cute pout and said. "Let Sasuke do that. the girls are all over him anyway."

"Well, I was under the assumption I'd be helping you snag yourself an Uchiha boy." Itachi grinned slyly and leaned forward to whisper heatedly in Naruto's ear. "But if he doesn't realize what a catch he has, I'll be glad to take you off his hands." He punctuated this by a slow, languid luck along the outer shell of Naruto's ear.

"Itachi." Naruto moaned softly. "You pervert! Stop tempting me."

"You're really sensitive to touch, little one." The dark-eyed jounin chuckled.

"Well, you would be too, if no one even bothered to touch you your whole life, except for a sparring match! And what did I say about calling me little?!"

"Alright, alright, I get it. But all joking aside, it's going to be my job to revive the clan. I consider it penance for wiping out the clan. Besids, Sasuke won't be able to continue the line if he's with you, now would he?"

"Yeah..." Naruto mumbled, still unsure where this whole thing was going.

"And don't start thinking that's your problem. Who Sasuke chooses is completely up to him. He won't be bound by the clan rules at this point, since there are two heirs."

Suddenly, Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at Itachi. "Hey, why are you being so nice, anyway? The last time I saw you, you were all 'kill this, kill that. Naruto you and Kyuubi will be my bitch and Sasuke you're a stupid weak, fool'. What's up with the change?"

Itachi's right eyebrow twitched. Apparently, the twitching was a family trait. "I hardly think that's how I porported myself to others. Aren't you overexagerrating some of that Naruto?" He shook his head quickly. "Well, at any rate. When I said I loved my brother, I meant it. The actions I took after Akatsuki were only to keep Sasuke safe. I knew he would train hard to defeat me and when I learned of Orochimaru placing his seal upon my brother, I wanted him to train even harder in order to use his own power and not rely on the seal's. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to get the hints I was throwing at him and ran straight to Orochimaru. He did the exact opposite of what I wanted him to do. I suppose that the revenge he so desperately wanted, distorted his thought process greatly. I intend to rectify that. I want my brother to be happy, no matter what. I will do anything to that end. And it seems, in talking with others about you and him, that even at his worst, you were the one to bring him back to reality when he needed it the most. You were the only one to wring out some emotions from him."

"If I was able to bring him back, when it mattered the most, he wouldn't have gone to Orochimaru." Naruto muttered softly.

Itachi got up from his spot on the chair, to sit next to Naruto on his own bed. He lifted Naruto's chin up in his hand and brushed away a stray tear that had graced the boy's tanned face. "There was nothing you could do about that incident. It was the final turning point in his quest for revenge and that was all my fault." He removed the hand from Naruto's face to massage his temple.

"Alright, Naruto. Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you, because it should help you understand Sasuke a bit more."

Naruto nodded silently.

"When I was young, my brother and I were the best of friends. But as I got older and it was obvious that I was acceling at a much faster rate than my brother, my father purposely seperated us." Itachi shook his head in disbelief as he remembered some of the things their father had done. "Instead of letting me help Sasuke, he would instruct me to ignore him, telling me that training with him would only waste my time and hold me back in my own training. Everyday, he would physically punish me, if I ever tried to help my little brother. When I think back upon it, I can imagine why I turned out the way you see me now. Not that I am using that as an excuse for my previous behavior." The elder Uchiha looked out of the window and caught side of the puffy clouds in the sky. They reminded him of his Akatsuki cloak. He bitterly forced himself to look away.

Naruto broke the silence. His curiosity was too much to bear. "Why's that, Itachi? Why did you bend so easily? If you're anything like Sasuke, I know you're strong-willed and stubborn. How did your father finally manage to make you look so distastefully at Sasuke?"

"Well, by the time I was twelve, I was too old for the spankings he gave me. So he would place me under genjutsu's, making me believe I was seeing Sasuke die in front of me because he was weak. Some of the nightmares he was able to induce included me choosing between saving Sasuke's life and my own mother's." Itachi scowled, completely disgusted with the emotions the scenarios provoked in him. "He would tell me they were because I insisted on caring for a boy that was too weak to be bothered with saving. I thought that if I distanced myself from him, it would be better for everyone. But in the back of my mind, I loathed the freedom Sasuke had. There was no pressure for him. He could progress at a normal rate, still excelling greatly just by his Uchiha blood." Itachi ran his hands through his hair and pulled out the rubberband that served to hold his hair back. As various strands fell into his face and down his back, Naruto watched in awe. While there was no doubt that Sasuke looked good, Itachi once again trumped him in even this aspect. The man looked incredibly sex with his hair down and Naruto shifted his position on the bed to hide the growing erection. Sure, he was in love with Sasuke, but he couldn't help the fleeting thought that passed through his head of being fucked senseless by his older brother.

_Ok._ _Calm down, buddy._ _Get ahold of yourself. If he sees you like this,_ _he'll think you can't control your hormones at all._

_**But you can't. I can**_ _**practically feel the drool gathering in your mouth.**_ Naruto should have known Kyuubi would put in an appearance at the worst possible moment.

_He's hot! What do you_ _want me to do about it? He's like an older version of Sasuke!_

_**An older, sexier version, might I add.**_

_Erg._

Itachi's continued speech broke him apart from his internal dialogue with kyuubi.

"At any rate, one day Sasuke showed father that he had learned Goukakyuu no Jutsu. He'd been practicing for a whole week and I felt sorry for him, so I had helped him with the technique. When mother began to congratulate him, Sasuke had insisted it wouldn't have been possible without my help."

"Uh oh." Naruto winced. "I can see this coming."

Itachi smiled bitterly. "Yes, it's pretty obvious. Father was furious that I had wasted time on what he figured was a lost cause. He beat me until I was black and blue all over. This time though, he told me if I ever showed Sasuke the slightest bit of affection, he would no longer beat me, he would inflict the punishment on Sasuke."

Naruto clenched his fists and yelled. "What?! That's not fair! He can't punish you, for caring about your younger brother! It wasn't Sasuke's fault!" Naruto paused. "Well, I guess you could say it was, since he told your father you helped him, but..."

"But he didn't deserve the beatings. After that, I began trying to avoid Sasuke. I didn't want him to experience father's wrath. Especially since he did nothing to deserve it. He tried to train with me, in order to win father's approval. I only made the mistake once more and I'll never forgive myself for it."

------Flashback ------

Mikoto Uchiha sat at the dinner table with her husband and elddest son. "Where is Sasuke?" She queried.

Itachi hesitantly answered. "Training."

Father scoffed. "A waste of effort for one like him."

The sound of quickly running feet was heard a moment before the youngest Uchiha bound into the dining room. His father scowled at his unadultered, loud entrance.

Sasuke threw himself at his brother, who caught him quickly, never one to be off-guard. His younger brother looked up at him and beamed. "Thank you for teaching me the Housenka no jutsu Itachi! I'm getting it down really well."

Itachi took a sharp intake of breath. His mother had clapped her hands together excitedly and exclaimed what bright young boys she had. But his father...his father was enraged, giving both his sons a potent glare that promised excruciating punishment that night.

And of course, only a few minutes after laying in bed, Itachi's door burst open to reveal his father dragging Sasuke in the room by the boy's arm. In their father's other hand was a thin leather belt. Itachi sat up quickly when his father dumped Sasuke in his lap.

"I told you what would happen if you waste time on this boy with no talent."

Although Sasuke didn't know why he had been brought to Itachi's room, he knew what the leather belt meant and he was already panicked.

"Father what did I do wrong?! I learned the new jutsu Itachi taught me quickly! I know it's not perfect but--"

Sasuke sat up in his brother's lap and reached out for his father. He was back-handed quickly.

"Of course it's not perfect! Everything you do is imperfect and you disgrace the clan by your mere presence." He lifted his belt and shoved Sasuke face down on his brotehr's matress.

"Please father! It's my fault. Punish me!" Itachi pleaded.

"No. I told you what would happen, if you defied me and I want to make sure you see your brother's pain, knowing you could have prevented it. Because your one weakness is your love for a worthless boy like him and I know this will pain you moreso than him."

That said, he slapped the belt down on Sasuke hard; so hard in fact, that it ripped his shorts open on the first hit. The response was immediate as Sasuke yelled loudly in pain and began crying.

Their father gestured. "See this? One hit and he's already bawling! He has no reserve!" Fugaku Uchiha used a fire jutsu to heat the belt he was holding.

Itachi knew the only way to shorten this beating would be to appease his father by silently taking the punishment. But Sasuke was far from silent, sprawled on his stomach over his brother's lap and crying loudly in anguish. The ANBU captain shoved the fleshy part of his hand in his younger brother's mouth and spoke softly. "Sasuke, it will be over sooner, if you remain silent. Bite down on my hand, when the pain is too much."

The frightened boy wanted to tell him it was already too much, but he couldn't speak from behind Itachi's hand.

Their father had finished heating up his belt and he pulled Sasuke's shirt up. For his part, Sasuke whimpered softly in anticipation. Since he was facing away from his father, he couldn't see what was happening. This only served to heighten his senses and when his father delivered 5 blows with his heated belt in quick succession, Sasuke could feel the pain singing in every part of his body.

Itachi winced every time his father delivered another blow. He wondered belatedly why he felt so much physical _and_ mental pain and looked down at his hand. He was only midly surprised to see that Sasuke had broken skin. What was more amazing, was that Sasuke didn't seem to notice the blood pooling in his mouth from the various bite wounds he had inflicted on Itachi's hand. Still, Itachi didn't mind, as it had the desired effect. His little brother's pain-filled yells were barely heard and after a minute or two, his father seemed to feel he had inflicted enough damage. Itachi whole-heartedly agreed, watching in agony as blood dripped from a steady pace along Sasuke's back, down to the floor.

After their father left the room, Itachi carefully lifted his brother by his shoulders, to shit him upright.

"Sasuke?" He looked at his younger brother in concern, as he saw that the boys eyes were glazed over in pain and shock, unable to answer him, until he heard a small voice murmur.

"What did I do wrong? I was just trying to catch up with you." The boy's voice hitched as he choked back another sob.

"I know, brother. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I swear to you, Sasuke, this won't happen again." He cleaned his brother's wounds and quickly bandaged them.

Afterwards, he gave Sasuke some pain relievers strong enough to put him under into a deep sleep as well. He pulled the blankets over his brother and laid down beside him to drift off into a fitful sleep.

---End of flashback----

"So as you can see, I decided from that day on to avoid Sasuke at all costs, even though it hurt both of us. In the end, I felt having our father beat him at every turn would hurt more. And I had no idea what would happen if it constantly continued. I did not want my father to resort to desperate measures."

Naruto nodded, completely dumbfound. There was nothing he could say to all that.

Just as Itachi was about to say something else, Naruto jumped up.

"Ah! I forgot to hand in my last mission report to Tsunade! That old hag will kill me if I don't do it! I'll be right back, Itachi, okay? I've just gotta go home to get it and hand it to Tsunade."

Itachi blinked. Even though he had known Naruto for a little while now, he couldn't get over how fast the boy could swing into different moods. "Alright, I will wait for you right here."

Itachi got up to walk Naruto out and then went back upstairs to lay on his own bed. He stared up in the ceiling, in deep thought. He didn't really want to tell Naruto such a big portion of Sasuke's life without the boy's approval, but if it would help in the long run than he supposed it would be alright. He had barely closed his eyes, before he heard the door open again.

_Did Naruto come back that soon?_ He wondered.

His answer was given to him, as he walked downstairs to see Sasuke standing there. His mouth dropped, at the sight of his little brother.

In the middle of the kitchen stood the young Uchiha, decked out in a skin-hugging, silk, cobalt blue shirt, with a mandarin collar. Every time he made the slightest of movements the way the light caught the silk, seemed to make his muscles ripple and sing of sexiness. The back of the shirt was cut in a small half-circle that ended right under his posterier, emphasizing it even more. As for pants, he managed to pull the outfit off with jeans that had been dyed such a deep red, they looked almost black in the dim light. It complimented the boy perfectly.

"Ah...Sasuke, that's not what you left wearing, is it?" When his brother looked up, Itachi also noticed that he had a dark red choker, with the Uchiha symbol stitched on the back of it.

"Yes, actually. It is." The young man smirked, knowing exactly the affect his choice of wardrobe was having on Itachi. After all, he had planned it that way. "It was hard to get the fan girls off of me. I had thought that if I wore something they've never seen me in, I could could slip under the radar of the rabid fan girls. Apparently not." He shrugged. "But I swiped something from Jiraya when he made a snide comment about me being a pretty boy. So I feel somewhat vindicated."

Itachi chuckled. "And what did you manage to steal from the almighty sannin?"

Sasuke pulled out a medium sized bottle of Sake and two small sake dishes. "Something for us to make the night interesting."

Itachi's eyes widened at the bottle. "That looks like an import. Jiraya will be highly displeased that you managed to sneak it right out from under his nose."

Sasuke poured the first two servings. "The only reason it was so easy, was because he was drinking from a second bottle with Tsunade and that lackey of hers."

Itachi thought of Naruto, when Sasuke said this. "So, she's not in her office?"

"No, I ran into them at the restaurant Hinata and I were dining at. " Sasuke held out the sake dish to his brother, before he took a sip of his own.

Itachi took the prooffered drink and sipped from it. He imagined it would take Naruto quite a bit longer to hand in the mission report now, if he had to find the Hokage.

So a few drinks later they were both leaning over the table, arm wrestling.

"Ah! You weasel scum! I won't lose to you!" Sasuke's face began to turn a deep red, as he pulled Itachi's hand towards his side of the table.

Itachi laughed aloud and said. "Oh, you wanted me to start? Well here." With that said, he began putting pressure towards his own side and quickly slammed Sasuke's arm down onto the table.

With a smug grin he proclaimed. "I win."

"Damnit, Itachi!" Sasuke lept over the table and flopped straight down into his brother's lap, grabbing his brother's shirt, by the collar. "Why do you always have to be better than me?" He pouted and without thinking Itachi found himself licking the boys lips.

"Ah...Itachi." Sasuke responded quickly, opening his mouth as an invitation for Itachi, who easily took it and delved deeper into Sasuke's mouth.

"Little brother, you reek of alcohol." He mumbled into the wet cavern of his brother's mouth.

Sasuke giggled and Itachi wished he had a recorder. He would never admit to giggling later.

Sasuke made a few hands signs slowly and Itachi tried to discern what they were for, but his vision was too blurred for such an action and he asked Sasuke instead. "What's that for?"

Sasuke hiccuped and leaned closer to his brother. "Watch." He pressed one of the hands that had just finished making the sign to his brother's chest and all of Itachi's clothes disappeared.

Itachi stood up in shock. "Hey, what kind of jutsu is that?! Give me back my clothes!"

Sasuke laughed, then stood up to repeat the hand signs and divested himself of clothes as well. "I watched Jiraya do this once. It's really easy. I thought you'd like it." He stalked back over towards his protege and pinned Itachi up against the nearest wall. "This worked pretty well, don't you think, Itachi?"

Itachi growled, sobering up a bit, as he realized his brother's true intentions. "Sasuke, I am not taking your virginity. Get over it. As a matter of fact, I'm sorry I got drunk with you. I should have known better. This ends, right here; right now. Naruto will be here in a minute anyway."

Sasuke wasn't one to take no for an answer and he barely registered his brother's words, as he dropped to his knees and immediately took his brother's length in his mouth, bobbing up and down in rapid succession.

"Sasuke!" Itachi dug his fingers in the raven's hair and tugged harshly. "S...Stop! We can't do this!"

At first Itachi thought the squeak he heard had come from Sasuke, since he was pulling his hair so hard, but when he turned to the side, he looked straight into crystal blue eyes. He wasn't prepared for the amount of pain and shock that they mirrored.

"Naruto! Shit, look it isn't what it looks like. I--"

Sasuke chose this moment to look up and see Naruto standing only a few feet away from them. His mouth formed a grin from around Itachi's cock. He would prove to Itachi here and now that he didn't have feelings for Naruto and that he didn't need the blonde boy at all. He released Itachi's member from his mouth with a loud pop and grinned sharply at Naruto.

"Actually, it's exactly what it looks like. I'm sucking my brother off, so he'll be horny enough to ram his cock up my ass." The statement drew Naruto's attention away from Itachi's face and over towards Sasuke's. For the shortest of moments, Sasuke wished he could take it all back, as he stared straight into Naruto's eyes. He knew how Naruto's life had been. So why did he have to kick him when he was down? This would never had happened, if Itachi had just done what he said. The look of agony, betrayal, and intense pain Nartuo reflected in his eyes was enough to make even Sasuke wince. but he had to continue. He _had_ to prove Itachi wrong, for once!

Sasuke slowly sauntered over to Naruto and placed a hand on his chest. "So, if you'd be so kind as to leave now, we can continue where we left off, before you interrupted." He pushed Naruto backwards a bit. "Unless you want to watch."

Naruto stumbled backwards towards the door, completely baffled as to how he had ended up in this situation. "Itachi...you..." He looked down at the ground and Itachi followed his line of sight. The Uchiha winced when he realized there were tears plopping slowly down on the ground. "You...didn't have to go to such lengths, if you really hated me that much!"

Itachi shook his head vehemenently. "This isn't what I meant to happen."

"But it's not the first time." Naruto nodded to himself in realization. "I wondered about it before...with Kyuubi's heightened sense of smell, I always smelled Sasuke on you, but I decided to disregard it and just figured you two were really close after you were reunited under better circumstances." He turned and headed for the doorway. "Well, I wish you guys the best, then." The blonde shinobi closed the door behind him and ran off quickly.

Itachi whirled around to face his brother. "What was that?!" He seethed.

Sasuke laughed. "Well, I had most of this planned. Not with Naruto, mind you...but I knew if you got drunk enough, it would be easier to bed you. And then I felt Naruto's chakra heading towards us...it's very powerful, so I noticed it, even before you said anything and...well, I think that about sums it up. You can figure out the rest."

In pure frustration, Itachi kicked his brother in the ribs, sending him flying across the room and into the wall. "You idiot! You ruined your one chance at happiness!"

Sasuke tried to choke out words, but only managed to cough blood up. He coughed for a bit more and cleared his throat of the metallic substance. "I only need you brother! Not some demon kid! We're just fine by ourselves!" He sneered.

Itachi walked heavily over to his younger brother and yanked him up to eye level, by the collar. "There is no _we_ and there never _will_ be." He dropped the pathetic boy on the hardwood floor in a heap. "Sasuke, do you know the difference between you and me?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head in the negative. He could tell he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"Well, then let me tell you. Even though people consider me undeniably evil, I only do hurtful things with absolute justification. Such as the annihilation of our clan. I was justified in that. But you..."

He looked down at the pitiful sight on the floor. "You seem to take pleasure in hurting Naruto at ever turn. You're like a little boy who picks on the girl he likes to get her attention. It's disgusting and I don't feel like putting up with it anymore."

Still greatly affected by the alcohol, Sasuke began to tear up at his brother's harsh words. "But big brother, I did it for us!"

"I just said there _is_ no us! Don't you get it?!"

"No!" Sasuke screamed. "No, I don't! Because you wanted me back when I was younger and now you don't? It doesn't make sense! Why can't you just be with me? Everything will be so much easier and I already know what to expect!"

Itachi grabbed his brother by his shoulder and shoved him into a seat at the dining room table. "Sasuke, life is full of uncertainties. I already told you that while I love you, I can imagine that what I feel for you is nothing more than lust and once we'd have sex a few times it would be painfully obvious. I won't put you through that. This is the best way."

Sasuke furiously scrubbed the tears off his face. "Fine, then. You can pick."

Itachi frowned. "Pick what?"

The council told Tsunade to relay a message to you, that one of us must choose a wife in the next 30 days. So you can pick. I don't care who you pair me up with, now. I'll fuck her and continue the line."

"Sasuke--" Itachi growled.

"If you don't pick one within a week, I'll do it myself." Sasuke picked himself up off the chair and walked upstairs towards his bedroom. "Goodnight, brother."

After he heard the door close to Sasuke's room, he slammed his head down on the table.

* * *

Perhaps it was because it was a village full of ninja or maybe it was because it was just a small village, but either way the news traveled fast.

The council demanded one of the Uchiha males to pick a bride and the deadline was thirty days. What had set the village afire was the fact that it was Sasuke who had chosen to sacrifice himself to the fangirls.

Itachi's stomach turned at the thought. The next morning he had apparently woken up later than his brother--which had never happened before--to find out Sasuke had gone to inform Tsunade he would take the responsibility. Tsunade had asked him if he had anyone in mind and in response he had told her no, but if the council wanted to pick someone, he wouldn't object to it. So it was that he ended up with all the girls of Konoha running after him and telling him how they were best suited for him.

Employing the use of chakra to the bottom of his feet, he ran as fast as he possibly could and darted into the first restaurant he saw. It happened to be the bar-b-que restaurant that Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino frequented. Of course, Ino wasn't there at the moment, since she was in the horde of girls chasing him, but Chouji and Shikamaru were and if he needed anything at the moment, a genius mind was definetely it.

He sat down next to Shikamaru. "Hide me! They're after me! Quick think of something."

Shikimaru smirked. He had never heard the Uchiha utter more than 2 words at a time. Naruto most have rubbed off on the raven, if he was actually showing emotion other than his typical "why are you breathing my air? Go away." He couldn't believe life gave him such an easy victory. He had nothing against the Uchiha, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to to see what would happen if he employed a new justsu he had learned a few days ago. He didn't want to try it out on himself, so he turned towards Sasuke.

"Alright, Uchiha, follow my hand signs."

Sasuke nodded as he activiated his sharingan and copied the hand signs Shikamaru performed.

"Good, now say Oroike no jutsu."

Sasuke blurted out "oroike no jutsu!" before he realized exactly what it was.

"Wait! What?!"

In a poof of smoke Sasuke disappeared, only to be replaced by a girl version of himself, wearing nothing at all.

"Ah! What the hell? Why does this jutsu always end up with the person naked?" He had pretty much accepted that this was the best way to hide from the girls, but he quickly made a few more hand signs and clothing appeared on his female form. Just a plain black tank top and back pants, but it was good enough. He couldn't think of anything more girly at the moment.

Shikamaru snickered. "So, I take that to mean you haven't made a choice as to who you're going to make an Uchiha woman?"

Sasuke sighed. "Obviously not. I don't really care, so I'm leaving it up to either the council or my brother."

Chouji swallowed the enormous amount of beef he had in his mouth to speak. "Shouldn't you be, you know...choosing a girl you like or something?"

Sasuke looked at Chouji and smirked. "I hate to break it to you, Akimichi, but I don't like girls."

Chouji looked confused for a moment before Shikamaru added. "It means, Chouji that he's batting for the other team."

At this, Chouji just shrugged and began to pick up more beef from the grill. "The girls are gonna be really dissapointed about that." He shoved more food into his mouth and began chewing.

Shikamaru glanced sideways at the pale girl in disguise. "Well, then why don't you just date the guy you like and let Itachi continue your lineage? It doesn't seem like he would mind."

Sasuke's eyes darkened before he spat out. "Because the one I want, doesn't want me."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in amusment. "Are you kidding? I see Naruto hanging all over you. He's the only one who seems to be able to put up with you and you're the only one who lets him in past your line of emo--" Sasuke glared, daring Shikamaru to stop there.

Shikamaru gulped and added "--tional defense. What's the problem?"

Sasuke ground his teeth together in annoyance. "I didn't say it was him."

Shikamaru's mouth dropped in an 'o' shape. "Well...ok. Nevermind then, forget I said anything or Naruto will kick my ass."

"I already knew about naruto." Sasuke stated. "But it's not him I desire."

Shikamaru laid his head on the table and sighed. "Well, I said my piece. I guess I was just trying to help Naruto out, but since that won't work, I'm done with it. It's all too troublesome for me to bother with."

Sasuke stood up from the table and made his way to the door, deciding to take a chance and see if he could get by the girls in his new form.

He made it home in one piece, with no one the wiser. But just as he opened the gates to the Uchiha manor, a sharp pain in his stomach caused him to close his eyes, doubling over in anguish.

"What the hell?"

He had no time to think as everything around him shifted. When he opened his eyes, he was in front of the Hokage.

"Uh...what just happened?"

Tsunade slammed her fists down on the desk and yelled. "Damnit, brat! Do you pay attention to anything I say?!"

"Brat?" He raised an eyebrow and then thought for a moment.

_No, it can't be._

**_Haha, yes it can, Uchiha. Welcome back. I kind of missed you._**

_Kyuubi! Than that means..._

He was back in Naruto's body.

-----------------------------------------

Well, now you didn't think I had forgotten the whole plot of this story, did you?

The body switch has come at the worst possible time for both boys. But it might benefit itachi...hm...

Naruto's things to do in Chapter 7:

1) Learn that blondes really do have more fun

2) Realize that revenge is sweet and Sasuke deserves some payback

3) Administer that payback in the form of naruX???

Opening Author's notes: It took so long and I'm sorry for that! I had writer's block and I even wrote a small story that had nothing to do with this one (it's my first one-shot ever) to try to get the juices flowing, but it wouldn't work. I had thought of a bunch of other story ideas, but alas, I couldn't think of this one. And then when I could...I got sick! And I just couldn't stare at a computer screen to type and edit, when I do that at work at all (stare at a computer screen, I mean). AND THEN (I'm not making this up, I swear)...Time Warner shut off our internet because they said a computer on our network has a virus! (WTF?!)...we have like 7 comps running (we're nerds) and one server...so yeah...we know none of US have a virus, but we download bitTorrents and I bet it shows on our account. Time warner is a bunch of assholes! That's why I work for (insert your guess here).

Which leads to...the person who can guess the name of service I work for will have a character insert in the next chapter. I'll give you a hint...it's a new service, not available in all areas and obviously, as mentioned from above, it's internet, phone, and cable (all-in-one). Yeah...I'm trying to be original with the contests...gimme a break.


	7. Your Drive

Disclaimer: If Naruto belonged to me…no...you don't want to know where that line of thought is going. 

Typical Explanations:

_Italics_ mean thought

**Bold Italics** mean Kyuubi thought.

killerkunoichirei: Honestly between typing it at work and then going home and typing it, my thought process might have been a bit broken at times. So I created a guideline ahead of time, for this chapter and where I wanted to go/what I wanted to accomplish in this chapter. So let me know if this one seems a bit better and perhaps I'll just start making guidelines for each chapter ahead of time. I'm usually a go-with-the-flow kind of girl when it comes to writing and just use a general guide overall for the story and bits and pieces for the chapter. Heh

�Nara-chan25: You couldn't get to chapter 6? O.O; really? I swear it's not me. cause I uploaded it...checks yeah, I did. heh 

MikoKriszty: Well, Sasuke doesn't break his neck, but I hope this chapter helps you feel a bit better And thanks. I'm trying to carry the whole body-swap thing off well. Who knows?

shadowphoenix143: I'm sorry ;; But there will be more ItaNaru later...hehe. Sasuke is a sucker.�

�And kendonall you win! I work for AT&T (Uverse)...or should I say I _did_...they fired a shitload of us on Valentine's Day...yeah. Which is another reason I didn't update so soon. Feeling depressed about losing the highest paying job I had and all jobless x.X So anyway feel free to send me a message about any specifics you want your character to have and stuffs and you'll have them in the next chapter. Yay! 

Author's Notes: P.S. - I'm drunk and my beta has abandoned me. Prepare yourself.�

* * *

**Story: I love**�

**Chapter 7: **_Your Drive�_

Naruto blinked. He blinked again. Then he rubbed his eyes. Things weren't getting better, no matter what he did. 

He sighed and looked around, ticking off his own personal notes inside his head. One: he was in the Uchiha manor. Two: He was in Sasuke's body...again.

"For the love of God, why me!" He screamed in the air. Naruto huffed and began walking towards the house that Sasuke and Itachi called theirs. He threw open the door so hard, when it hit the wall, it created a large crater. Then he stomped up to Itachi's room and yanked open the door there as well. Screw knocking, he was pissed.

"Somehow your brother has spited me yet again!" 

Itachi looked away from his perch on the window in amusement. "So am I to assume that I'm talking to Naruto now?"

"You're damn straight!" He thrust a finger in Itachi's direction. "And you! You lied to me! I hate you! If you think I'm going to just go all emo and pretend I didn't see you 5 seconds away from fucking your own brother, you've got another thing coming!"

Itachi rolled his eyes. He wished he had another clan to kill, because between Sasuke and Naruto's moods, he would certainly turn homicidal. But at least, with Naruto you could tell what the boy was thinking. Even though he perpetuated the dumb blonde stereotype to most people, he didn't put on an act when around Itachi. This was pretty interesting, considering he still held up the act fairly well around Sasuke. Still...

"Are you listening you slimy weasel? Don't ignore me! Only Sasuke can manage to pull that off so well!"

Itachi's eyebrow twitched. What's with everyone calling him weasel? Maybe he should change his name.

"Naruto do you want Sasuke or not!"

The loud-mouthed boy promptly shut up. "Are you still teasing me with that line? It's never gonna work. Sasuke only wants you. Which disturbs me on so many levels, but I'm willing to let it go, if it makes Sasuke happy." He shrugged and walked over to a mini-fridge he had spotted. He pulled out a soda and started drinking the carbonated beverage in large gulps.

"So you're going to just roll over and play dead?" The eldest Uchiha's right eyebrow twitched. Who the hell did Naruto think he was, taking his last soda from the fridge? Or even daring to open his fridge without permission for that matter.

Naruto finished the soda with a loud belch. "And what would you have me do?"

Itachi ground his teeth in frustration. Naruto was turning out to be a bit too dense for his liking, when it came to relationships. He calmed himself with the knowledge that Naruto had never really had any interpersonal relationships, besides the friends he had and perhaps the father figure he he had in Iruka. Knowing this, he addressed the fuming blond.

"Between you and I, I'd say we know Sasuke pretty well. So give me some words to describe him."

Naruto opened his mouth to begin.

"Excluding 'asshole', 'bastard', 'prick' and anything else you so affectionately dub him."

"Damn." Naruto thought for a second. "Ok, so...in all seriousness...cold, calculating, cruel, single-minded, possessive, stubborn. That enough?"

The brunette nodded. "Now focus on the last three."

Naruto frowned, but repeated himself. "Single-minded, possessive, and stubborn. So what?"

Itachi walked closer to Naruto and trailed his hand slowly down the boys chest. "So what do you think would happen, if he began to feel...left out, between the two of us. Even though he does such things to you, it's obvious he cares about you. So why don't you exploit his weaknesses? I'll be happy to help you do so." 

Naruto watched where Itachi's hands were headed and he held his breath, as Itachi stopped at the boy's belt buckle. 

"In fact..." Itachi whispered softly. "I would enjoy it very much. It's my only chance to sample the delectable Naruto Uzumaki, before my brother gets smart and realizes what he's missing."

Naruto gulped. "I...ta...chi..." The way his name rolled off of the younger man's lips sent a shock of lust straight to his groin.

"Yes, little one?"

Naruto growled. "You do know that right now, it'd be more like sampling your own brother's sweet ass--yet again--and might be more of a turn-on, if he saw us, than anything else, right?"

Naruto displayed a cute pout on his face, before he turned around and headed for the door.

"Naruto?" Itachi intoned.

"Hm?"

"If you want to learn a bit more about Sasuke, the obvious thing would be to go through his room."

Naruto grinned cheekily. "I already did that before."

Itachi raised his index finger and waved it in a patronizing fashion. "Ah, but let me finish. If you want to know more about his past relationship, you should also ask the Hyuuga."

'What?" Naruto whirled around to tare at Itachi in shock. "Hinata? But you said--"

"No, Naruto. I meant the boy. Neji, I believe. He should have a lot to tell you."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I'll do that." He vacated Itachi's room and headed to Sasuke's. He was going to rummage through his friend's room, as he had intended. He really wanted to head straight to Neji's, but if he could find something about Sasuke's relationship with the Hyuuga in the raven's room, it be easier to know what to confront Neji with.

_Maybe he has a journal. When Iruka suggested in the Academy that we keep one to track our progress and how we've grown, Sasuke didn't seem adverse to it._

Naruto looked around the younger Uchiha's room in thought. Besides a bed, night table, dresser and a small desk with a chair, it was bare. Naruto reasoned that if he did have a written memoir, it shouldn't be too hard to find. He rifled through the desk, but came up with nothing.

_Of course, he would hide it, but where? I hide mine under the mattress so..._

Naruto bent down to pull the mattress apart from the bed's box springs and there he found it.

_Aha!_

He snatched the journal up and began thumbing through it.

He sighed outloud and then flopped down on the bed. "This is going to take a while."

--------------------------------

Sasuke had no idea the Hokage could talk so long without pausing to take a breath. Then again, maybe she breathed during the two second gaps she left open for him to attempt answering her rapid-fire questions.

"Answer me, brat!"

"Uh...well--"

"That's not an answer? Don't play dumb with me. What did you say to Sasuke!"

Sasuke blinked. "Huh?"

Tsunade growled, but continued. "I know you did something. You haven't talked to each other in over a year! Then yesterday you tell me you're going to try to talk to him and them bam!" She emphasized the 'bam' with her fist hitting cracking the desk in half. After the split furniture hit the floor, the Hokage glared up at Naruto. "He comes to me and tells me that he's ready to follow the council's orders and marry anyone they see fit. You should have seen how those old fogies drooled when I relayed that message to them!"

"Aren't you one of those old fogies?" Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Naruto?" He heard her screech at him.

Alright, what would that idiot do? Taking into account that she knew the real Naruto, Sasuke decided he could act pretty normal.

"What Sasuke does is his business. I'm not gonna waste my time anymore. I didn't even talk to him yesterday, so back off." That said, he turned on his heel and left the office, leaving Tsunade stunned.

_So if we switched just a few minutes ago, I'm going to assume that he's at my house._

Sasuke jumped on the nearest roof and headed home. He reasoned that he would be safe from the glares of the villagers this way.

He managed to make it one house away from the Uchiha gates before he felt a piercing pain in his shoulder.

"Augh! What the--"

"One would think that after a year of him avoiding you, you'd know better than to try your luck bothering Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke grit his teeth and decided to focus on pulling out the kunai embedded in the back of his shoulder. But when he placed his hand on the hilt of the weapon, he noticed something odd.

_A rope?_

His fears were confirmed when he felt himself yanked backwards by the rope attached to the kunai. He bit the inside of his cheek hard to keep from screaming in pain.

_Why is this even happening today? It's not Wednesday!_

Sasuke hit the roof of the house they were on hard enough to dislocate a few tiles. Hissing in pain, he pulled himself to his knees and tried to stand up, but after yanking out the kunai, a hand on his shoulder made sure he stayed in his current position.

The ANBU in front of him chuckled. "You don't need to get up to do your job, demon." He heard the sound of a zipper and when Sasuke saw the hard member of the ANBU shoved in his face, he began struggling.

"So you're going to make this hard, huh?" He felt the ANBU behind him grab the back of his neck and shove his mouth onto the first man's member.

"If you bite it, I'll break all your ribs. Get to work."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, to stop the stinging of tears and then opened them to take in his surroundings. He was surrounded by 3 ANBU. There was no way he was getting away. Gathering his nerves, he slowly began to move his mouth up and down the ANBU's shaft, trying not to gag. The man released a pleased sigh and placed his hand on Sasuke's head, digging his fingers into the blonde hair of the body the Uchiha currently inhabited.

"You're getting rusty, fox. You know how I like it. Use your tongue."

Sasuke didn't want to know how many times the man had done this to Naruto. He thought about throwing up, but imagined that the ANBU would keep him in his current position, just to watch him asphyxiate on it. He followed the man's instructions until he began to thrust harder, with less of a rhythm. Sasuke gagged as he felt thick cum hit the back of his throat, but the ANBU held his head in place. "Swallow it." He demanded.

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut to make sure none of the tears fell and shook his head in the negative. The ANBU behind him covered his mouth and pinched his nose shut. Sasuke writhed around and continued to put up a fight, until the man in front of him punched him in the ribs. The pain of the hit, coupled with the sound of his ribs breaking, forced Sasuke to swallow the foreign substance in his mouth. The man who had been holding his nose, let go and turned the boy around to face him. "My turn."

_Oh, please no._ Sasuke thought, panicking.

_Please not again. I can't handle it again. I don't know how Naruto stands it. I can't do this._

The ANBU let go of him to unzip his pants, but when he reached for his toy again a kunai landed between them. They both looked down to see an explosive note attached to it, but instead of moving away, the ANBU grinned and pushed Naruto's body right on top of the kunai to take the brunt of the explosion. Sasuke cried out in shock, but he knew he wouldn't be able to move away in time, as he hit the roof. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes to realize the note hadn't exploded. Looking around, he noticed the men looked just as confused, until they heard laughing.

"You didn't really think I would blow up somebody's roof, did you?" 

All four shinobi on the roof looked up sharply. There, on the tall brick wall separating Uchiha's from normal people, stood Sasuke Uchiha.

_Had to make a flashy entrance, huh, idiot?_

Regaining his bearings, the ANBU closest to him spoke first. 

"Ah, Uchiha-san. I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were so close to your dwellings. Are we disturbing you?

Sasuke watched Naruto smirk in amusement. "Yes, you are. But my brother actually had business to discuss with the demon, so if you're through..."

"Yes, of course." The ANBU disappeared as quickly as they had come.

Sasuke jumped from the roof he had been on and landed on the gate, next to Naruto, clutching his ribs. Thankfully, the ANBU had only broken two of them and the Kyuubi was already starting to heal the bones. He groaned as the first bone knit back together and spared the Uzumaki boy the briefest of glances. "Even though that was your fault...thanks."

"My fault, eh?" Naruto replied grinning. "Well, then, Na-ru-to", he lept down from the gate, to hit the ground smoothly. "I've got things to do, see ya. Oh and by the way," he paused to turn back to Sasuke. "You have a little something on you chin."

Sasuke was about to protest Naruto going anywhere in his body, but when he wiped his chin he almost threw up. Apparently, he hadn't swallowed everything the ANBU had to give.

--------------

Naruto found Neji in one of the Hyuuga training grounds. He leaned against a tree nearby and calmly waited. After a few minutes of shuriken practice, Neji acknowledged his presence.

"What is it, Uchiha?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Apparently, fooling around didn't warrant calling each other by your first names.

"I got bored. Came to see if you wanted to spar, Hyuuga." He walked closer to Neji so that they were barely arm's length apart.

"Considering what happened last time you wanted to 'spar', I'd rather pass." Neji remarked snidely, still throwing shuriken at small targets, without so much as a break in concentration.

_Bingo. I hit a nerve without even trying. Let's see if I can keep this going, till I'm satisfied._

He leaned forward so that the two men's foreheads were mere inches away, effectively stopping Neji from ignoring him, and murmured in the most seductive voice he could muster of Sasuke's. "I don't remember you arguing so much."

"And I don't remember agreeing to be Naruto's substitute!" Neji snapped back.

Naruto recoiled in shock. "What?"

The pale-eyed boy sneered at the brunet in front of him. "I have nothing against Naruto. He's a good person and I admire many things about him. But I do not wish to be called his name in bed, Uchiha!"

Even as stunned as he was, Naruto managed to gather his wits and play off Sasuke's uncaring attitude.

"I don't recall doing such a thing, Hyuuga." He replied, nonchalantly.

"Of course not. You wouldn't. But you _did_ seem to notice me ignoring you after that incident. Don't think I didn't notice you using your sharingan technique to make me submit after that."

Naruto tensed. He hadn't ever expected Sasuke to resort to using his sharingan to control somebody relationship-wise. But he had read as much in the Uchiha's journal and now he had solid proof.

He folded his arms over his chest and let a smirk play across his face. 

"And just what do you think I did with my bloodline trait?" He questioned, in perfect Sasuke fashion. Not only was it a direct question, it was also a veiled insult to show who's doujutsu was superior. Naruto spoke Sasuke language very well.

The sometimes clumsy blonde had never heard Neji chuckle in his life, but he couldn't deny that the sound he was hearing coming from the lips of the Hyuuga prodigy were highly arousing. He could see why Sasuke wanted Neji for his...for a while, anyway.

"Cut the crap, Sasuke."

Naruto wondered what he had done to merit the first name basis treatment. As it was, he just raised an eyebrow to Neji's slip.

Neji himself, furrowed his brows and sighed. "Yes, I guess you were right, it does sound odd calling you by your first name outside the bedroom." He turned to face Sasuke again. "But tell me this: why are you here and why do you have some of Naruto's chakra in your body?" Neji permitted a rare smile to materialize on his face. "Subconscious finally make you go after what you really wanted?"

Naruto shuffled his feet nervously. He wasn't sure of the complexities of this jutsu, but he definitely wondered why Neji could sense the difference in his chakra, when no one else could, save Itachi. Then again, the Hyuuga's were famous for the knowledge of chakra, so Naruto guessed it could be chalked up to that. 

In reality, Naruto would love to have someone to confide in about the problem and he figured since Neji had been Sasuke's lover, he would know his mannerisms the best. He laughed inwardly. Well, if he had to reveal his mistake, he wasn't going to make it easy for the Hyuuga. Naruto placed a hand on Neji's shoulder and trailed it slowly down Neji's arm. 

"Take a guess, Neji." He drawled, placing emphasis on the Hyuuga's first name.

The Hyuuga prodigy didn't make a move to back away from the touch, in fact he stared directly into the eyes of who he assume was Sasuke.

"Well, the most obvious reason would be sex and while you can be an ass at times, I doubt you'd go so far as to flaunt such a thing to me." He thought carefully. "In fact, though it sounds odd, I'd almost believe you were Naruto in Sasuke's body." Before Naruto realized what was happening, Neji had grabbed him by the chin and pressed their lips together, sliding his tongue in between the boy's open mouth. It ended almost as quickly as it had begun and as Neji leaned back, he smirked at the pale boy in front of him, leaving him stunned.

"So not only do you taste like ramen, but I just kissed you and I'm still standing, unscathed. Sasuke would never let me do something like that in a public place, outside of one of our bedrooms. The first and only time I tried to, I ended up with a black eye that lasted for two weeks."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Ha, well you caught me by surprise, is all. See, I messed up a jutsu and now Sasuke and I randomly swap bodies ever-so-often."

"Ah, so it is you, Naruto." Neji's gaze softened as he dropped the volume of his voice a bit. "How did you find out?"

Naruto was relieved that his friend was kind enough to avoid his jutsu blunder and just get straight to the heart of the matter.

"Itachi told me." He snickered. "Well, that and I went through Sasuke's journal."

Neji's eyes widened in fascination. "He has a journal?"

Naruto plopped down on the grass and stretched out his arms in a manner unbeffiting of an Uchiha. "Yup. Pretty interesting stuff, to say the least. But man!" He let out a loud yawn and laid down on his back. "I'm glad I have someone to confide in about this." He spared a glance in Neji's direction. "And don't worry about the past. It's not like Sasuke ever knew about my feelings. Heck, I doubt he even cares. So it's not my concern, who he's sleeping with."

Neji exhaled deeply and quietly sat down next to Naruto. "We never went that far, Naruto. One thing that clans share in common is we don't sleep with someone until we're sure we are going to be with that person forever. As a matter of fact, the Hyuuga clan is bound by moral code to marry the first person they sleep with. I'm not positive, but I'm quite sure that the Uchiha clan is the same."

At that moment, something in Naruto's head clicked into place.

_Now I understand what Sasuke was whining about in his journal. So that's why Itachi won't sleep with him!_

The self-proclaimed future Hokage shook his head to clear his thought and looked seriously at the long-haired man in front of him. "Do you like Sasuke, Neji?"

"Enough to do the things I did with him. But if you mean, in a romantic way, no. I do not adore him anywhere near the level you do, Naruto."

Naruto bristled. "I do not adore Sasuke." 

Neji allowed enough emotion to show through for him to roll his eyes. "Go home, Naruto. Sasuke will be upset if he finds out we talked about this."

Naruto scowled, but stood up anyway, brushing the grass off his shorts. "And just why would he be upset? We're nothing to each other now. Not even friends."

"Naruto, please trust me when I say that Sasuke wants more, he's just afraid to admit it. I knew from the very first night, but I chose to ignore it. We were both pretty drunk and I ended up carrying him home. When he pulled me into bed with him, he started rambling. The things he said made me change my mind and I couldn't help myself. Do you want to know what I learned over the course of our affair?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, before nodding quietly.

"Fine, but listen well, because I will never say so much in one sitting again." Neji cautioned. 

"He's scared." Naruto interrupted with a laugh.

Neji glared at him. "I'm serious! At first, when his family was murdered, he felt angry and betrayed. He had been working his whole life to get just a fraction of the attention and recognition Itachi had. And when he had finally started slowly succeeding in winning favor with his father, the older brother he admired so much slaughtered them all.

As we both know, children are cruel...they used to tell Sasuke that he was cursed and anyone he ever loved would die like his family; or betray him like his brother. Even though he tried to ignore them, at such a young age, the ideas began to take root." Neji broke the dialog with a sigh, but continued nonetheless.

"So subconsciously, you can see where Sasuke might have some hang-ups in a real relationship. It seems it's either hurt or be hurt."

"It also doesn't help that knowing how the villagers treat you, he felt it would be even worse if they found out that their precious last Uchiha was gay for the Kyuubi boy. I imagine overall, that he wants to make sure neither of you gets hurt in the long run." Neji ran a hand through his hair. "Now, don't make me ever speak so much again." He quirked his lips in a teasing smile. "You're lucky I care about you and that I know how you feel about Sasuke."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. "Did you learn that before or after you guys fooled around?' He questioned snidely.

Neji rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "I deserve that, even more so because it was before all of it. I don't deny knowing it was more a seeking solace and comfort in someone's arms than anything else."

"Multiple times!"

Naruto's accusations began to anger Neji. "Do you think that even if we hadn't done anything, you would have been the first at any of the things we did? Is that why you're so upset? Because I'm sure Itachi still would have beat you to it."� As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he instantly regretted it. ButNeji knew it was too late to take it back.

Naruto blanched. "Wait, how long has this been going on. When did this...thing between you and Sasuke start?"

Neji turned around and began walking towards the Hyuuga manor.

"Neji!"

The brunette paused and opened the sliding door. 

"When you left with Jiraiya to train."

--------------------

Sasuke cut another slice off the tomato he was currently eating and added a small amount of salt to it. Then he shoved the slice into his mouth and slowly chewed it.

From his spot across the kitchen table, Itachi sighed. "Well?"

Sasuke swallowed the fruit. "See why Naruto is more trouble than he's worth?"

Before Itachi could respond a loud 'poof' signaled the arrival of Kakashi, who raised an eyebrow at the tomato headed in the direction of Naruto's mouth. Without missing a beat, Sasuke answered the unspoken question.

"Lost a bet to Sasuke."

"Ah." That seemed to satisfy Kakashi for the time being. "Well, either way, Tsunade needs you for an escort mission. It's an A-rank mission so..."

Sasuke shot up and headed in the direction of the Hokage tower.

_A mission is just the thing I need to take my mind off this crap._

Sasuke kicked the door open and strolled into the room. "Where's my mission?"

He was so caught up in acting like Naruto, he barely had time to dodge the numerous kunai thrown at him.

"What the hell?" Sasuke landed gracefully and then remembered that he should stumble a bit.

Tsunade calmly waved her hand. "There's no need for alarm, Rei, he is a shinobi of mine." She sipped on a small vial of sake and chuckled. "Not one with any manners, but an excellent shinobi regardless. He will be guarding you during your stay."

The girl nodded and walked over to the blonde shinobi. Sasuke got up from his fake stumbling and almost did it again.

Before him stood a girl with wavy blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back. Blonde hair was rare enough in the shinobi world, seeing as it drew too much attention. But what startled him the most were her eyes. They were the same crystal blue as Naruto's.

"Hi!" She chirped. "My name is Rei of the clan. Sorry I tried to skewer you. I was just trying to protect the Hokage." He watched her hair fade from blonde to dark brown as she offered her hand to him.

"Uh..." He took the pro-offered hand and shook it. "Uzumaki Naruto."

_I've heard of her. She's the prodigy that excelled almost as fast as Itachi. But what is she doing here?_

The girl nodded and then turned back to Tsunade. "Could you please tell me where the restroom is? I need to freshen up, after such a long trip and I'm sure you want to brief Naruto on his mission." She smiled sweetly, indicating that she knew they needed to discuss things in private and she would give them ample time to do so.

Tsunade nodded and gave her directions and then turned to Naruto. "Nice, isn't she?"

Sasuke faced the Hokage and began to act as he though Naruto might.

'Hey, what's she here for?"

The female Hokage looked at Naruto and then at her desk again, hesitating. Then she pulled out another vial of sake and took a sip. He hadn't noticed her finish the first one.

"Sit, Naruto."

Grumbling, Sasuke obeyed.

"That girl has been sent by her village. She is from their most powerful clan; the clan.

"Yes, I heard that in her introduction. But that doesn't tell me what she's here for."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "What did I tell you about the stupid act, kid? Use your head. A village that we've been negotiating to form an alliance with for months, sends a prodigal girl from their most powerful clan..." She waited for Naruto to connect the dots.

Taking a good guess, Sasuke spoke.

"So they want her to marry into another powerful clan, thereby cementing a relationship of goodwill between the two countries."

Tsunade nodded. "And since Sasuke is our most eligible bachelor at the moment, the council feels that betrothing the two would bode well for the alliance.

"Oh...oh crap." Sasuke frowned.

"I wanted to tell you first, Naruto. So you could have time to get used to it and not cause any havoc over it."

Sasuke stood up abruptly, trying his best to look hurt and heart-broken. "I won't. He lept out of the window situated behind Tsunade to look for Naruto. He wasn't all too surprised when he found him in his house.

He was a bit surprised though, to find him passed out in a guest bedroom. As surprised as he was about that, he was shocked beyond belief to find Itachi lying down next to him, allowing Naruto to bury his face in the older man's chest. Hinata was sitting on the windowsill as well. This only piqued Sasuke's curiosity even more.

"Why is he still here?"

Itachi opened his eyes and spoke softly, so as to not wake Naruto. "He had a run-in with Neji." 

Sasuke blinked.

Then shifted nervously.

Then started to bite his lip.

Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes at his brother's un-Uchiha like display. "The answer to your question is 'yes', Sasuke.. Naruto knows about you and Neji. If I'm to understand Neji correctly, after he hit Naruto's Anahata, he collapsed."

Sasuke blinked. "So Hyuuga told Naruto what we did and then hit the chakra point connecting to his heart?" He questioned confusedly.

"No. Neji was heading back in the Hyuuga manor, after telling Naruto what happened." Hinata interjected. "I had just come out to see what was going on, since I sensed Naruto's chakra, but only saw you. I know what you did with my cousin and I thought you had come to gloat. But as I found out, sex wasn't what put Naruto's chakra in your body, it was just Naruto himself. Either way, neither of them seemed to notice me because of the argument that ensued after Naruto asked Neji a question."

"Which was?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"He asked how long you two had been fooling around. And Neji informed him that you came to him shortly after he left with Jiraiya."

Sasuke winced. He could imagine how that had gone. But he continued with his line of questioning. "So let me guess. Naruto got all pissed and started attacking Hyuuga and he was forced to subdue him?"

Hinata scowled at Sasuke. "No! God you're so full of yourself, you just automatically assume Naruto's going to go haywire when anyone mentions your name! He just nodded and prepared to leave, but Neji had a question of his own to ask. If I had known how it was going to pan out, I would have interfered then and there. Now I'm just sorry I didn't, because it all happened to fast for me to understand, until it was too late."

-----------------

As Naruto walked away from Neji, the brunette turned and called softly to Naruto. "When you asked me to first do it, I didn't want to. I thought you were just trying to take an easy out. But...knowing how he is now, if you promise to try to approach him one last time and it fails, would you like me to do it?"

Naruto stopped walking. "You'll do it, then?"

"Yes, Naruto. I really don't believe that this is the best thing to do, but I'll do so, if you truly desire it."

Naruto turned around to glare at the pale boy. 'Well, most people wouldn't call fooling around with the person their friend's in love with a good idea, either, but that didn't stop you." He walked over to the Hyuuga until they were less than five feet apart. 

"Do it."

"Naruto..."

'I don't want to hear it. You said you would."

"Only because I feel somewhat guilty!"

"You should! You owe me! Do it!"

"Fine!" Neji yelled, lifting a flat palm up to hit Naruto high in the chest. Unlike his other attacks, instead of Naruto flying back, it was Neji who did so.

Despite being angry at Neji, there was no way he was going to let his friend stay lying face down in the dirt. He ran over to him quickly. "What the hell happened!"

Neji held his head and groaned, standing up slowly. "It worked."

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short, when his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out.

-----------------

"And he's been like that ever since." Hinata finished.

"So is it a variation of Hyuuga's gentle fist technique?" Sasuke questioned impatiently.

"In a way." Hinata admitted. "The pressure point he hit though, is the one that connects the head to the heart, as Itachi already said: his Anahata."

Sasuke grit his teeth and ground out. "Let's say there's someone in this room who's not so well-versed in the Hyuuga's different style of chakra-point manipulation; explain it in English."

Hinata scowled at him and Sasuke ignored it. She looked like she wanted to kick him across the room. "Anahata, is the sanskrit word for the heart's chakra point. By hitting this chakra point, he closes it off, resulting in an energetic imbalance. It's a way to separate feelings from thoughts. The technique was used in the past, as a method of training so shinobi wouldn't let their emotions interfere with their missions."

"And what's wrong with that? Naruto needs to learn how to control his emotions in battle anyway." Sasuke returned Hinata's scowl with equal animosity. He wished she would go back to the mousy girl she was before. Though her confidence was an admirable trait for a Hyuuga, it was annoying to Sasuke in this current conversation. 

"What's _wrong_ with it, is now feelings to Naruto are secondary. Since the energy flow to the heart is now lessened, it can cause a subtle form of anxiety. This will trigger him to have an almost constant feeling of dissatisfaction, even if it's only subconscious. The person's body will try to even the unbalanced chakra by fulfillment or experiences."

Sasuke thought about her words for a moment. "So what you're saying is that he's going to go looking for love elsewhere now; instead of being upset that I won't accept his love? Where's the problem?"

Hinata smiled cynically. "Oh, I'm sure that's what he _thinks_ will happen. But in actuality, since his body is searching for fulfillment, not his heart..." She trailed off quietly. Apparently something she was going to say next must have been sensitive enough to revive her modesty.

"He'll believe sex and actions of the body equate to love. He won't be able to differentiate the two." Itachi supplied. "Somebody just touching him in a friendly way will satisfy him. That is to say, _if_ he experiences the side effects of the chakra imbalance. He may not experience that part at all."

Hinata nodded. "Or if it does fair on the bad side of things, he could even be inclined to let his", Hinata blushed" baser needs fill the void."

�

* * *

�And I messed up on the 3 things in the last chapter...they were supposed to be in this chapter...don't kill me. So again.

Naruto's things to do in Chapter 7:

1) Learn that blondes really do have more fun

2) Realize that revenge is sweet and Sasuke deserves some payback

3) Administer that payback in the form of naruX?

�

And yes, the blanks are on purpose. Kill Bill reference, ha. I just didn't want her clan to be revealed yet, but you know she'd introduce herself by clan name, as they all do, so yeah...�

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